Witkoff said that Gaza’s reconstruction could take as long as 15 years [Photo by Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty Images]
The names of three Israeli captives held in Gaza by Hamas and set to be released in a new exchange on Saturday have been revealed, after Israel accepted the list on Friday.
Ofer Calderon, Keith Siegel and Yarden Bibas were on the Hamas list given to the Israeli government according to reports.
Bibas, 35, was captured on 7 October alongside his wife Shiri and two children Ariel and Kfir. The Israeli government has previously expressed concern about whether the family was alive in Gaza, with Hamas previously saying that Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Since the beginning of the ceasefire, 15 captives have been released including 10 Israelis and five Thai nationals.
The announcement of the new list follows reports that Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is attempting to ensure that Gaza’s ceasefire remains in place after the first phase ends.
In an interview with US outlet Axios, Witkoff said he had reminded members of the Israeli government of the “positive things” the ceasefire had achieved during his visit to Israel earlier this week, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “committed” to the Israel-Hamas truce.
Netanyahu is being pressured from sections of his government to restart the war at the end of the first phase, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying that it was likely fighting could restart after phase one in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
Smotrich reiterated threats to withdraw from the Israeli government, saying that if phase two included agreeing to end the war without destroying Hamas he would ensure Netanyahu’s government ends.
During his trip to the region, Witkoff also confirmed that he had met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh on Tuesday, where the two discussed plans for post-war Gaza.
Additionally, Witkoff said that it could take up to 15 years to rebuild Gaza after his visit to the enclave on Wednesday, saying that “there has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But this is impossible. This is a 10 to 15-year plan”.
Wikoff estimated that demolition work and debris removal would take at least five years, and described the enclave as “uninhabitable,” citing the lack of access to electricity, water and the proliferation of unexploded ordnance.
Critics fear he is using the scale of the devastation in Gaza to push for Trump’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ plan for the Palestinian enclave.
The UN’s satellite service UNOSAT estimated in its December report that the 69 percent of all structures in Gaza are damaged or destroyed in Israel’s war on the enclave. The report notes that the analysis is preliminary, however, and that this has yet to be confirmed through field work.
As well as destroying much of the enclave, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 47,354 people, although thousands more are believed to be dead under the rubble.
Amid the ceasefire, the international community is urging Israel to reverse its ban on the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) which came into effect on Thursday.
Director for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that as the main provider of health services in Gaza and the West Bank, there was no alternative to the agency.
“Banning its lifesaving work will have major health consequences for millions of Palestinians,” he warned.
As well as the UN, the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany and France also condemned the move and called on Israel to continue working with the agency.
“No other entity or UN Agency currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA’s mandate and experience,” a joint statement from the three countries read.
“We reiterate out support for UNRWA’s UN-mandate to provide essential services and humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
In the occupied West Bank, Israel has continued its attacks, including in Jenin refugee camp which is now under assault for the 11th day, with 19 people being killed further 50 wounded according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The Israeli army announced that one troop had been killed in the camp on Thursday, adding that the army had killed two people responsible for the soldier’s death in the same incident.
