A meeting in Cairo on a proposed truce associated with the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip ended Sunday without progress, while Israel and Hamas remain inflexible after seven months of war.
Discussions must, however, continue in Qatar, the main mediating country where the head of American intelligence, William Burns, is expected, while, according to Egyptian media, the Hamas delegation is due to return to Cairo on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Sunday that Israel could not “accept” the demands of the Islamist movement, which calls for a definitive ceasefire in the Palestinian territory as a prerequisite for any agreement, particularly on the release of hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, is still threatening to launch an offensive on the overpopulated town of Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, “with or without” a truce agreement. “Capitulating” to Hamas would be a “terrible defeat” for Israel, he declared on Sunday.
He also announced his government’s decision to close the office in Israel of the Al-Jazeera channel, based in Qatar, whose signal was cut. Al-Jazeera, which gave extensive space to coverage of the war in Gaza, denounced a “criminal” decision.
“Emergency” meeting
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, based in Qatar, had previously accused Mr. Netanyahu of “sabotaging the efforts of mediators” for a truce, while discussions continued in Cairo between a delegation of the movement and Egyptian representatives , in the absence of Israel.
The offer from the mediator countries, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, presented to Hamas at the end of April, provides for a truce associated with the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. A Hamas official said Sunday that the movement would “under no circumstances accept an agreement that does not explicitly provide for an end to the war.”
The delegation, which left for Doha on Sunday evening for consultations, according to a Hamas official, must return to Egypt on Tuesday “to complete the negotiations”, indicated a media close to Egyptian intelligence, Al-Qahera News.
After a stop in Cairo, according to American media, the director of the CIA also left for Qatar, announced a source close to the negotiations. “In the absence of progress” during the discussions in Cairo, Mr. Burns must have an “emergency meeting with the Prime Minister” of the emirate, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al Thani, “in order to discuss means of get the talks back on track,” according to this source.
“History will not forgive you”
The war broke out on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP report. established from official Israeli data.
During the attack, more than 250 people were kidnapped and 128 remain captive in Gaza, 35 of whom died, according to the army. On Sunday, the Hostage Families Forum once again called on Mr. Netanyahu to accept an agreement that would allow the release of the hostages. “Netanyahu, history will not forgive you if you miss this opportunity,” says this text.
The Israeli offensive launched in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 attack has so far left 34,683 dead, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, which on Sunday counted 29 dead in 24 hours.
Gaza City in the north was bombed, as well as the center and south of the territory, including Rafah and the neighboring town of Khan Yunis. “Yesterday at this time, we were very optimistic and we were waiting for the announcement of a ceasefire. Today, we are on edge,” a 59-year-old resident of Rafah told AFP. , Najat Shaat.
Israel has vowed to annihilate the Islamist movement, in power in Gaza since 2007, which it considers a terrorist organization along with the United States and the European Union. To achieve “final victory” and free the hostages, Benjamin Netanyahu continues to proclaim that he will launch a ground offensive on Rafah, where according to Israel four Hamas battalions are grouped.
This border town with Egypt has become the final refuge for hundreds of thousands of civilians who have fled the war further north. According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 million Palestinians are still massed there, or half of the territory’s population.
A “real famine”
Many capitals, including Washington, and humanitarian organizations fear heavy civilian losses in the event of an offensive on the city. Rafah is also the main land crossing point for humanitarian aid, strictly controlled by Israel which is besieging the territory. An offensive would be a “hard blow” to humanitarian operations, the UN warned.
The director of the UN World Food Program, Cindy McCain, was alarmed to see the north of the Gaza Strip hit by a “real famine”, which is progressing towards the south. On Sunday, the army announced that it had closed the Kerem Shalom crossing point providing access to the south of the Gaza Strip from Israel, targeted by rocket fire that the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for. Three soldiers were killed, according to the army.
In the midst of a humanitarian crisis, relations between Israel and the UN agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have worsened since Israel accused a dozen of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza of having participated in the attack of October 7.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini announced on Sunday that Israel had for the second time banned him from entering the Gaza Strip. “In the last two weeks, we have recorded ten incidents such as shootings at convoys, arrests of UN personnel, bullying, exposure, threats with weapons and long waits at checkpoints forcing convoys to move night or give up,” he said.
Source: Europe1