Published March 5, 2024
Cease-fire talks between Hamas and mediators broke up Tuesday in Cairo with no breakthrough, with just days left to halt fighting in time for the start of Ramadan.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told Reuters the militant group had presented its proposal for a ceasefire agreement to the mediators during two days of talks, and was now waiting for a response from the Israelis, who stayed away from this round.
“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu doesn’t want to reach an agreement and the ball now is in the Americans’ court” to press him for a deal, Naim said.
Israel has declined to comment publicly on the talks in Cairo.
A source told Reuters earlier that Israel was staying away because Hamas had rejected its demand to furnish a list of all hostages who are still alive. Naim said this was impossible without a cease-fire first as hostages were scattered across the war zone and held by separate groups.
The Cairo talks had been billed as a final hurdle to reach the war’s first extended cease-fire – a 40-day truce during which dozens of hostages would be freed and aid would be pumped into Gaza to stave off a manmade famine, ahead of Ramadan, which is due to begin at the start of next week.
Egyptian security sources said Monday they were still in touch with the Israelis to allow the negotiations to continue without an Israeli delegation present.
Washington, which is both Israel’s closest ally and a sponsor of the ceasefire talks, has said an Israeli-approved deal is already on the table and it is up to Hamas to accept it. Hamas disputes this account as an attempt to deflect blame from Israel if the talks collapse with no deal.
The United States has also called on Israel to do more to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed by Israel’s assault, launched after Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people in October.
Hunger Stalks Gaza
Famine is now gripping the besieged Gaza Strip as aid supplies, already sharply curtailed since the start of the war, have dwindled to barely a trickle over the past month. Whole swathes of the territory are completely cut off from food. Gaza’s few functioning hospitals, already overwhelmed by the wounded, are now filling with children starving to death.
Ahmed Cannan, a toddler with sunken eyes and an emaciated face, lay on a bed at Al-Awda clinic in Rafah, wrapped in a yellow cardigan. He had lost half his weight since the start of the war and now weighs just 6 kg (13 pounds).
“His situation worsens each day. God protect us from what is coming,” his aunt, Israa Kalakh, told Reuters.
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SOURCE: www.newsmax.com
RELATED: Gaza ceasefire talks extended as Ramadan deadline approaches
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip Mar 4, 2024. (Photo: Retuers/Mohammed Salem)
Published March 5, 2024
CAIRO: Hamas negotiators stayed in Cairo for a third day of ceasefire talks on Tuesday (Mar 5) after two days yielded no breakthrough, as a deadline approached to halt the fighting in time for Ramadan, free Israeli hostages and stave off famine in the Gaza Strip.
The Cairo talks have been billed as a final hurdle to reach a 40-day ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel in time for the Ramadan Muslim fasting month, due to begin at the start of next week.
A truce would allow some hostages captured by Palestinian militants in the October attack that precipitated the war to go free, while aid would be ramped up to Gaza and families be able to return to abandoned homes.
“The delegation will remain in Cairo on Tuesday for more talks, they are expected to wrap up this round later today,” a Hamas official told Reuters.
Three security sources from host and mediator Egypt told Reuters the warring sides still wanted a deal but were sticking to demands that had held up an agreement so far. The Egyptians have remained in contact with the Israelis despite the absence of an Israeli delegation in Cairo.
Earlier, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told Reuters the group had presented its proposal for a ceasefire agreement to the mediators, and was now waiting for a response from the Israelis, who have stayed away from this round.
“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu doesn’t want to reach an agreement and the ball now is in the Americans’ court” to press him for a deal, Naim said.
Israel has declined to comment publicly on the talks in Cairo but a senior Israeli official denied Israel was holding up a deal: “Israel is making every effort to reach an agreement. We are awaiting a response from Hamas.”
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SOURCE: www.channelnewsasia.com
RELATED: Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Bogged Down as Hunger, Pressure Grow
- Israel won’t send negotiators until Hamas answers queries
- Muslim holy month of Ramadan is set to start in a week
Published March 5, 2024
Israel delayed sending a negotiators to talks about a cease-fire in the war against Hamas for a second day, putting a damper on hopes for an imminent deal.
The US, Egypt and Qatar — the main mediators — are trying to persuade Israel to pause fighting in Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners in return for the freeing of hostages by Hamas. The talks in Cairo are also meant to ensure more aid gets into the devastated enclave.
Israel has said it won’t send a high-level delegation until Hamas provides a list of Israeli hostages it intends to release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government also wants to know about their wellbeing and how many are still alive.
The negotiations are taking place as hunger grows acute in the Mediterranean enclave of Gaza and with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan less than a week away. US Vice President Kamala Harris said at the weekend that while Israel must eliminate the threat posed by Hamas, the country has to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure they get adequate aid supplies.
A cease-fire for at least six weeks “is what is currently on the table,” Harris said, urging Hamas to agree to the terms. “Hamas claims it wants a cease-fire. Well, there is a deal on the table.”
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SOURCE: www.bloomberg.com
