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'Israel' requests Egypt to mediate release of soldiers, settlers: WSJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Wall Street Journal
8 Oct 2023 09:14
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The Wall Street Journal reports that "Israel" has refused a ceasefire until it has responded to the Resistance, as it continues to bomb civilians and tear down towers housing media outlets.

A member of the Israeli security forces takes a picture of a dead settler lying on the pavement in "Sderot", occupied Palestine, on October 7, 2023. (AFP)

"Israel" has asked Egypt to mediate the release of Israeli soldiers and settlers captured by the Palestinian Resistance, unnamed Egyptian officials have told The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said, "It is not clear how many Israeli captives are being held in Gaza" by Hamas and other Resistance factions. However, Israeli media outlets reported 750 missing Israelis.

WSJ contacted a spokesperson of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, but the Ministry did not respond to the newspaper's requests.

Cairo has contacted Israeli and Hamas officials through political and security channels in an attempt to "assess the situation and promote calm," WSJ said, citing several unnamed Egyptian officials.

The newspaper said, however, that Egyptian attempts have "yielded limited results" as Israeli officials refuse a ceasefire before they respond to the Resistance's successful offensive on Envelope settlements and the occupation's military sites.

Egypt shares a 12 km border with the Gaza Strip and has played a key role in mediating a ceasefire in May 2021 following the battle of Seif al-Quds.

The newspaper also reported, citing officials in the United States and Egypt, that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry regarding the unfolding events in Southern Palestine.

Resistance leaders have made it clear that the objective behind Operation Al-Aqsa Floods is to free Palestinians from Israeli jails. It is expected that an eventual deal would be reached for the release of Palestinians in exchange for the release of settlers and soldiers, who are estimated to be in the dozens, from Gaza.

Resistance fighters humble IOF

In a surprise wide-scale offensive on Israeli settlements, Resistance fighters in Gaza caught the Israeli occupation forces off-guard, taking over several military sites, including "Nahal Oz", "Erez", "Re'im", "Be'eri", and "Kfar Azza".

As reported by The Washington Post, "The scale and scope of Saturday’s barrage was without parallel."

Al-Qassam Brigades leader Mohammad Deif said the ground advance was matched with a barrage of 5,000 rockets and shells. The Washington Post said the barrages targeted "settlements" and occupation cities "that dot southern Israel, at towns in central Israel and the Negev Desert, and reached as far as Tel Aviv and Al-Quds."

The Post referred to Israeli media reports saying that Palestinian Resistance fighters were able to overrun 22 Israeli settlements in the south, including some still under siege by late Saturday evening.

So far, the Resistance has achieved unprecedented numbers and victories, as they engaged and forced the IOF to withdraw from several sites and settlements with the death toll reaching 300, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health.