Israeli FM says 'will suspend' Rafah operation if hostage deal reached

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that a planned operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah could be suspended should a deal emerge to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The comments came as international mediators push for a deal to achieve a ceasefire in the devastating fighting in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas' October 7 assault.

"The release of the hostages is the top priority for us," Katz said during an interview with local Channel 12 television. "If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation."

Hamas said Saturday that it was studying Israel's latest counterproposal for a Gaza ceasefire before responding, a day after media reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt was in Israel trying to jump-start stalled negotiations.

Hamas wants to parlay any deal into a permanent end to the fighting, while Israel plans to pursue the conflict until Hamas's governing and military capacities are dismantled.

The armed wing of Hamas also released video footage of two men held hostage in Gaza. Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum has identified them as Keith Siegel and Omri Miran.

The footage showing them pleading for their release and sending love to their families caused thousands of Israelis to protest in Tel Aviv, demanding that the government do more to secure their release.

More than 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza captivity, including women and children.

So far, Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in the devastated enclave is worsening. The World Food Program has warned that without massive and consistent food assistance that can be delivered freely and safely, famine thresholds in Gaza will be breached within the next six weeks. A sentiment echoed in a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report released on Friday.

Aid groups said Gaza's already catastrophic humanitarian conditions would be worsened by Israel's vow to attack Hamas fighters still in Rafah.

Rafah, which abuts the Egyptian border, is sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled the Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza, to whom the prospect of fleeing yet again is terrifying.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier this month that Israel planned to "flood Gaza" with aid, but the OCHA report cited continued "access constraints."

A special meeting of the World Economic Forum set to begin on Sunday in Saudi Arabia will have a strong focus on the conflict, including the humanitarian situation, organizers said.

(With input from agencies)