Negotiators push for truce in Gaza Strip
Aid airdropped for civilians amid worsening humanitarian situation
CAIRO — Mediators reconvened in Cairo on Sunday in search of a formula acceptable to Israel and Hamas for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, after foreign governments resorted to airdrops to aid desperate civilians in the Palestinian enclave.
Delegations from Hamas, Qatar and the United States had arrived in Egypt for “a new round of negotiations” toward a truce in the Gaza conflict, state-linked Al-Qahera News reported on Sunday.
Their goal has been to secure a truce by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starting on March 10, but hopes have been dampened by a series of failed talks.
The negotiations have centered on a proposal to pause the fighting for six weeks and for Hamas to free hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and greater aid deliveries.
A senior US official said on Saturday that the framework for a sixweek pause in fighting was in place, with Israel’s agreement. Now it depends on Hamas agreeing to release hostages it has held in Gaza since its attacks on southern Israel on Oct 7, he said.
Israel launched the offensive in response to the attack by Hamas, whose militants poured over the border from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250 people, according to Israeli tallies.
At least 30,410 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza, the Gaza health ministry said on Sunday.
After five months of conflict and the Israeli blockade of Gaza, Palestinians are in a desperate situation. The United Nations says a quarter of the population — 576,000 people — is one step from famine.
Jordan and the US on Saturday jointly carried out airdrops of aid to Gaza, the first time that the US has participated in the multinational humanitarian effort.
Two aircraft from the Jordan Armed Forces airdropped in the northern Gaza Strip, while three aircraft belonging to the US Air Force airdropped in the south, the staterun Petra news agency reported.
The US Air Force said its three planes carried 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals.
Jordan has been airdropping supplies directly in Gaza and sending aid planes to Egypt’s North Sinai since November last year.
Some of the operations involve cooperation with other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
The US has for months been calling for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, something Israel has resisted. Some experts said being forced to resort to costly, inefficient airdrops was the latest demonstration of Washington’s limited influence over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Israel denies restricting humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians.
As the conflict dragged into its fifth month, fears have been raised over rising tensions.
Yemen’s Houthis vowed on Sunday to continue targeting British ships in the Gulf of Aden following the sinking of the UK-owned vessel Rubymar.
The US military confirmed on Saturday that the vessel had sunk after being struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthi militants on Feb 18.