Washington (AFP) – The United States is “completely confident” in the Israeli willingness for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal set out by US President Joe Biden. Israel on Tuesday mourned four captives reported dead in Gaza by the army amid growing doubts and international pressure over the plan for a ceasefire outlined by Biden. The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,550 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
