It was announced this week that Hamas has evacuated its delegation from Egypt, but that talks will continue next week on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip until a deal can be reached between the Palestinian group and Israel, who, according to Hamas, has failed to cooperate with mediators in their efforts to reach a settlement before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
Hamas announced on Thursday that a delegation from the movement left Cairo on Thursday morning for consultations with the movement’s leadership, as negotiations and efforts continue to stop the aggression, return the refugees and bring relief aid to our people through Gaza,” according to the Hamas statement.
A Hamas official has claimed that Israel has been “thwarting” efforts by Qatar and Egypt to reach an agreement on a ceasefire after four days of talks in Cairo, Egypt, mediated by the two countries.
Israel, according to Abu Zuhri, is rejecting Hamas’s demands of stopping its offensive in the enclave, withdrawing its forces, and ensuring the freedom of access of aid and displaced people to return to their homes.
Israel did not respond immediately to our request for comment.
At the recent negotiations, representatives from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt met this week in an attempt to reach an agreement for a ceasefire of 40 days before Ramadan begins early next week, but there was no delegation from Israel present.
According to the arrangement, captives that have been held by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza are to be exchanged for Palestinians that are being held in Israeli prisons inside the Gaza Strip.
As Hamdah Salhut of reported from occupied East Jerusalem, “this round of talks has ended without the significant answer or solution that is required for [a] ceasefire or a pause in the fighting to be reached.”.
The Israelis themselves refused to send a delegation to Cairo to take part in this round of talks due to the fact that they were hoping to receive a list containing all of the names of all of the captives who are alive and remain in Gaza at this point in time,” Salhut said. “The Israelis do not want to be tied to the occupation of Gaza,” Salhut said.
As a result of the wide spread of captives across the warzone, Hamas said it would be impossible to meet this Israeli demand without a ceasefire. A report indicating that there might be a second round of talks to be held by the end of the week, according to Salhut, has emerged.
The Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of at least 1,139 people and the capture of about 250 captives. A ceasefire lasting a week in November saw the release of more than 100 captives
Hamas’ officials have pledged to continue the negotiations, but officials of the Palestinian armed group told the Guardian that a ceasefire would have to be in place before the captives were released, Israeli forces must leave Gaza, and the Gazans must be able to return to the homes from which they had fled.
On Wednesday, the United States said on its website that although earlier statements had suggested that the negotiations were at an impasse, a truce was still possible.
The US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington, DC that the US continues to believe obstacles can be overcome and that a deal can be reached, so we will continue to push for such a deal, Miller said.
As of Thursday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, there have been more than 30,800 Palestinians confirmed dead in Israel’s war on Gaza. There have been 83 reports of deaths within the last 24 hours alone in Gaza, and witnesses have stated that Israeli bombardment has continued in Khan Younis and Rafah in the south of Gaza, as well as in the central part of the state.
The Al Jazeera news channel’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah on Thursday, said that Israel has returned 47 bodies to Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital which was stormed by Israeli forces last month when Israel was attempting to seize control of the facility.
In the western part of Rafah, there is a burial site named Tal as-Sultan where the decomposed remains were buried.
In Mahmoud’s opinion, the desecration of graveyards and the desecration of bodies are violations under international law, so this is a tragedy for the people who have already lost so much.
As reported by Timenews1, that’s the news.
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