Cairo, cease-fire talks continue in Gaza

2024-05-05 15:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Hamas leaders met today for the second day in a row with Egyptian mediators in Qatar to try to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Palestinian officials said there is no visible progress as the Islamic group makes any possible deal conditional on a halt to the war in Gaza. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected any possibility of ending the war until Hamas is eliminated. Israel has hinted it could accept a deal that would require the release of 20 to 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire of several weeks.

A Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediation efforts said the Hamas delegation had gone to Cairo with the aim of reaching an agreement, but not at any price, he said.

He told the Reuters news agency, on condition of anonymity, that the deal must end the war in Gaza and that Israeli forces must withdraw, which Israel has not pledged to do.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that if Israel agrees to the "extreme positions" of Hamas, "the next October 7 is only a matter of time", as he put it.

"Giving in to the demands of Hamas would be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel. It would be a great victory for Hamas, Iran and the entire axis of evil."

Despite increasing pressure to reach an agreement, the Israeli prime minister insists on the goal of the mission to eliminate Hamas.

"Israel will not agree to the demands of Hamas, which means surrendering. But we will continue the fight until all its goals are achieved."

Egyptian and American mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days.

However, the chances of a ceasefire agreement remain unclear. The main question is whether Israel would agree to end the war without achieving its stated goal of destroying the militant group Hamas.

The war began after Hamas entered Israeli territory on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages, according to Israeli data.

Gaza's health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says more than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,000 wounded by Israeli attacks. The bombings have devastated much of the Palestinian territory and caused a humanitarian crisis.

On Friday, a senior UN official said there was "significant hunger" in northern Gaza, hit hard by the war and tight Israeli restrictions on food deliveries.

Egypt and Qatar, where Hamas has a political office, are trying to broker a ceasefire amid international concern over the high death toll in Gaza and the plight of its 2.3 million residents.

Israel has hinted it could accept a deal that would require the release of 20 to 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire of several weeks.

Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire agreement./ Voa