CAIRO/DOHA: Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim on Sunday with Israel and Hamas sticking to their respective positions. Hamas wants an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages. But Israel says that is unacceptable.
“The latest round of mediation in Cairo is near to collapse,” an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.
The Hamas delegation would leave Cairo truce talks on Sunday night to consult with its leadership. But they planned to return to the Egyptian capital on Tuesday, Egyptian sources said.
Washington, which like other Western powers and Israel brands Hamas a terrorist group – has urged Hamas to enter a deal. CIA Director William Burns – who was in Cairo – is traveling to Doha to meet Qatar’s prime minister.
Qatar, where Hamas has a political office, and Egypt are trying to mediate a follow-up to a brief November ceasefire.
Truce Terms
But in their second day of talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo, Hamas reiterated that any truce agreement must end the war. Israeli officials have not travelled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy.
However, Israel has given a preliminary nod to terms that include the return of between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a truce of several weeks.
That would leave around 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom Israel says have died in captivity. The source, who asked not to be identified by name or nationality, told Reuters their return may require an additional deal.
But Netanyahu on Sunday repeated Israel’s aim since the start of the war: to disarm and dismantle Hamas for good. Israel was willing to pause fighting to secure the release of hostages, he said.
“While Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions,” he said. “The first demand is to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu said. “Israel cannot accept that.”
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas seemed not to be serious about reaching a truce. “We are observing worrying signs that Hamas does not intend to reach an agreement with us,” Gallant said. “This means strong military action in Rafah will begin in the very near future, and in the rest of the Strip.”
Israel has been warning for months it plans to send troops into Rafah, the southern city bordering Egypt where more than a million displaced Gaza residents have taken refuge. Israel believes thousands of Hamas fighters are holed up in the city, along with potentially dozens of hostages.
(REUTERS)
