Tuesday, January 14

Israel and Hamas seem to be inching closer to a ceasefire deal amid talks facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, which could bring relief to millions of displaced citizens in Gaza while also bringing back the Israeli hostages taken in Hamas' 2023 attack.

The Israel-Hamas War began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel and took hundreds of hostages. In retaliation, Israel has obliterated a large portion of Gaza with missiles and bombs, killing over 46,000 people-- although new studies estimate the number of deaths to be as high as 64,000.

Now, both sides are searching for a ceasefire agreement, as Israel needs to bring their hostages home and Hamas need to end the devastating war. Egypt and Qatar are the primary mediators for the talks, ferrying messages between sides, while the United States is pressuring Israel to agree to a deal. The talks are taking place in the Qatari capital of Doha, a neutral zone where both countries have no influence.

For the last several months, there has been a constant rising and falling of hope among the people of Gaza-- the two sides come close to reaching a deal, only for the idea to be struck down by a party due to a disagreement between the two sides.

The current deal that they have been formulating consists of numerous crucial points, some of which have been confirmed and some of which are still in the works. However, the solution on the most crucial topic -- how long the ceasefire will last -- is still undecided. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his government could be taken down by his opposition within Parliament if he puts a permanent end to the war, while Hamas has confirmed that the deal will not go through if Israel refuses to completely end the fighting.

Another part of the current agreement reads that if the hostages are freed, Israel soldiers will be able to stay in the region until all of them cross the border to ensure their safety, but the logistics of Israeli occupation before, during, and after the ceasefire are being figured out.

However, yet another extremely important piece of information is how many hostages are still alive-- dozens have been found dead in Gaza since the beginning of the war. Hamas confirmed a list of 34 hostages that they would release, but one of the hostages on the list was found dead by Israeli forces last Wednesday. Additional details regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners is also yet to be decided.

Officials have stated that while they are getting closer to achieving a ceasefire deal, there is still a significant chance that it could easily collapse. Whether they agree to a deal or not will be seen in the coming days, as both sides have established that they want to reach a ceasefire agreement before Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, where he will be sworn in as the next President of the United States.

Fact of the Day: The most expensive painting ever sold auctioned off for a staggering $450.3 million-- Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi from 1500 took home the coveted award of most valuable painting.

Quote of the Day: Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. (Vicki Harrison)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Secular (adj, SEK-yuh-ler) - Secular describes things that are not spiritual; that is, they relate more to the physical world than the spiritual world. The word also carries the closely related meaning of "not religious."

In a Sentence: Each year, Ian directed his charitable giving toward secular concerns like affordable housing and arts programming for teens.