Hope for new Israel-Hamas cease-fire piles pressure on Netanyahu

Tel Aviv — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nether rising unit Monday from each sides complete his country's ongoing war against Hamas successful nan Gaza Strip. Far-right members of Netanyahu's ain furniture have threatened to driblet their support for his conjugation authorities if he accepts a cease-fire woody pinch Hamas, but nan U.S. and galore Israelis are pushing him to onslaught an statement to bring nan remaining hostages location from Gaza and upwind down nan devastating warfare successful nan Palestinian territory.

Those calls for a cease-fire sewage renewed impetus by nan merchandise complete nan play of different Hamas propaganda video showing 2 hostages, including Israeli-American nationalist Keith Seigel, still alive.

The caller week has brought a flurry of negotiated activity successful nan region, including a sojourn by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, successful a last-ditch effort to unafraid a cease-fire statement up of a imaginable Israeli crushed cognition successful nan confederate Gaza metropolis of Rafah, wherever immoderate 1.4 cardinal Palestinians person sought shelter successful hopeless conditions.

A Hamas delegation was expected to present nan group's consequence connected Monday to nan latest connection for a long-sought truce and hostage merchandise deal.

In Saudi Arabia for a gathering pinch Gulf region counterparts, meanwhile, Blinken said Monday that a cease-fire would beryllium nan astir effective measurement to easiness nan humanitarian situation successful Gaza. But he stressed that civilians caught successful nan mediate of nan warfare can't spend to hold for that to happen, and he urged Israel "to return nan basal steps to meet nan needs of civilians."

Blinken acknowledged "measurable advancement successful nan past fewer weeks, including nan opening of caller [border] crossings and accrued measurement of assistance transportation to Gaza and wrong Gaza, and nan building of nan U.S. maritime corridor, which will unfastened successful nan coming weeks. But it is not enough," he said.

He said President Biden was adamant that Israel should return much specific, concrete, measurable steps to amended reside humanitarian suffering, civilian harm and nan information of assistance workers successful Gaza — including successful his astir caller telephone pinch Netanyahu connected Sunday.

According to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, much than 34,000 group — mostly women and children — person been killed successful nan enclave since nan warfare began. It was sparked by Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 violent onslaught connected Israel, which saw nan group termination immoderate 1,200 group and return astir 240 others hostage.

People stitchery for a objection to request nan resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, early elections and nan return of hostages from Gaza, April 27, 2024, successful Jerusalem. Saeed Qaq/Anadolu/Getty

United Nations humanitarian agencies person besides acknowledged an summation successful assistance flowing into Gaza, but they proceed to pass that tens of thousands of group look imaginable famine conditions successful nan territory, and nan uptick successful assistance hasn't been capable to avert that.

The situation for Netanyahu has been weighing nan destiny of astir 130 remaining hostages — including 5 U.S. nationals still believed to beryllium live — and nan rising unit complete nan war's effect connected Palestinian civilians, against his stated ngo to destruct Hamas. He's said a Rafah incursion is nan only measurement to meet that goal, arsenic Hamas still has combat units hiding retired successful nan city.

Calls from nan families of nan remaining captives to onslaught a woody person grown louder and angrier, however. They've led regular, monolithic rallies connected nan streets of Israel, accusing Netanyahu of failing nan hostages. More than erstwhile nan protests person ended successful scuffles pinch police.

There's unit for a cease-fire, too, from college campuses crossed nan U.S. — Israel's astir important state and benefactor — and from parallel protests taking style connected European assemblage campuses. The anti-war demonstrations person not gone unnoticed by displaced Palestinian students successful Rafah, whose acquisition came to an abrupt halt connected Oct. 7.

"What gives america a glimpse of dream is that we weren't near alone," student Renad Anaan told CBS News astatine a campy for displaced people, "and that goes for efforts made by nan students astatine universities successful America."

"I salute them, nan American assemblage students who are protesting against Netanyahu's authorities and nan American government. That's benignant of them and I respect them for that," said Fida Afifi, whose assemblage people successful Gaza City was disrupted by nan war. She told CBS News she was "calling connected nan world's students to emergence against nan government."

Israel has made a concerted effort successful caller days to show it's stepping up assistance distribution successful Gaza, and nan IDF released video complete nan play showing nan floating pier being built by nan U.S. subject conscionable disconnected envlave's Mediterranean coast. Officials person said it will beryllium completed successful early May, creating different caller way for thief to scope group who desperately request it.

There's dream that a cease-fire deal, aliases moreover advancement toward one, could hold aliases moreover scuttle nan plans for Netanyahu's promised penetration of Rafah. But successful nan meantime, nan threat of crushed warfare successful nan crowded metropolis continues to bent complete nan students and nan tens of thousands of different civilians sheltering successful Rafah.

Much of nan remainder of Gaza lies successful ruin — demolition connected a standard that has near full towns and cities uninhabitable.

Nowhere is really safe. Even successful Rafah, nan Israel Defense Forces transportation retired regular aerial and rocket strikes. Monday morning, amid nan renewed talk of a imaginable cease-fire, location were 3 caller strikes connected nan city. At slightest 5 much children were among nan dead, according to wellness officials successful nan Hamas-run territory.

Both humanitarian aerial drops and Israel's bombardment continued complete nan weekend, and Palestinians eking retired endurance successful nan shelter metropolis that's grown successful and astir Rafah ne'er cognize whether planes flying supra transportation nan threat of death, aliases nan committedness of life redeeming aid.

CBS News' Tucker Reals contributed to this report.

In:
• War
• Hamas
• Israel
• Joe Biden
• Protests
• Palestinians
• Gaza Strip
• Benjamin Neta​nyahu