A high-ranking Egyptian source confirmed today (Tuesday) the continuation of Cairo talks with the aim of reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip, but indicated that the discussions are facing difficulties, according to what was reported by Egyptian media.
Reuters reported earlier that the talks hosted by Cairo between Hamas and mediators with the aim of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza had collapsed. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, told the agency that the movement presented its proposal for a ceasefire agreement to the mediators during two days of talks and is now awaiting a response from the Israelis, who were absent from this round.
Naim added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does not want an agreement, and the ball is in the Americans’ court” to pressure him to reach an agreement.
Israel refrains from commenting publicly on the Cairo talks.
A source told Reuters earlier that Israel boycotted the talks because Hamas rejected its request to provide a list of the names of all the hostages who are still alive.
Naeem explained that this is impossible without a ceasefire first, given that the hostages are distributed throughout the war zone and are being held by different factions.
There were hopes that the Cairo talks would be the last stop before reaching the first long-term ceasefire in the war, a 40-day truce during which dozens of hostages would be released and aid would be pumped into Gaza to prevent famine, before the month of Ramadan.
Egyptian security sources said yesterday (Monday) that they were still in contact with the Israelis, allowing negotiations to proceed without the participation of an Israeli delegation.
Washington, Israel’s closest ally and one of the sponsors of the ceasefire talks, says that an agreement accepted by Israel is already on the table and that it is up to Hamas to accept it. Hamas rejects these statements and sees them as an attempt to shift blame away from Israel if the talks collapse without reaching an agreement.
The United States also calls on Israel to make more efforts to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people were killed due to Israeli bombing.
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2024-03-05 11:09:25
