Despite Gaza ceasefire hopes, warring sides remain cautious

Israel, Hamas and Qatari mediators all expressed caution on Tuesday about progress towards a truce in Gaza - despite U.S. President Joe Biden saying he believed a ceasefire deal could be reached in less than a week.

Hamas is now considering a proposal, agreed by Israel at talks with mediators in Paris last week, for a ceasefire that would suspend fighting for 40 days, the first extended truce of the five-month-old war.

Biden expressed hope that a ceasefire in Gaza could begin as soon as next week, with Israel ready to halt hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In a interview with the NBC channel, Biden said the deal would "give us time to get all the hostages out," adding that "too many innocent people are being killed" in the fighting. Ramadan is due to begin on Saturday March 10.

However Hamas has indicated that Biden's comments may be premature. Spokesmen say there are "still big gaps to be bridged" over Palestinian demands for a permanent end to the fighting and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip.

The plans are for a 40-day pause in military operations and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages at a ratio of 10 to one. Priority would be given to Israeli women, those aged under 19 years and above 50, and the sick. 

In return, hospitals and bakeries in Gaza would be repaired, with heavy machinery and equipment provided by Israel, with up to 500 aid trucks allowed to enter the enclave each day. 

Qatar, one of the chief negotiators for the Palestinians, has said it is "upbeat and optimistic" about the wider mediation process.  However the Gulf state's foreign ministry added that there has been no breakthrough at talks with Israel. Qatar has declined to comment on the ceasefire claims from Washington. Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has previously described Hamas's demands as "delusional."   

Meanwhile, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah says it has struck an Israeli aerial surveillance unit in retaliation, after Israeli warplanes killed two of its members. Israel made its deepest attacks so far into Lebanese territory on Monday, targeting the Bekaa Valley.  

Hezbollah says 60 rockets were fired on an Israeli army station in the occupied Golan Heights, with attacks continuing early on Tuesday. The Israeli army said it had struck Hezbollah air defenses after one of its drones was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. 

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The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says a "disturbing shift" is underway in the exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon. UNIFIL says it is witnessing "an expansion and intensification of the strikes" that began in early October. 

UNIFIL added that the skirmishes around the Blue Line dividing the countries have endangered the livelihoods and changed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians on both sides. Israel has evacuated several villages in its northern border region and told Hezbollah to retreat to the north of the Litani river.

Yemen's Houthis say attacks on Red Sea vessels will only be reassessed if Israeli "aggression" stops. The group, whose missiles and drones have been disrupting international shipping in the vital trade corridor, says an end to the siege of Gaza and the free flow of humanitarian aid could end hostilities. 

Jordan's King Abdullah has told the head of the United States Agency for International Development that aid to Gaza must be doubled. The monarch has warned Samantha Power that more pressure should be put on Israel to ease the flow of food into the territory.

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