HAMAS, ISRAEL AND AMERICA REACH ‘CRITICAL PHASE’ OF INDIRECT TALKS
▶ Intense negotiations are part of renewed efforts to prevent an expected Israeli ground offensive in Rafah
Indirect negotiations in Cairo between Hamas, Israel and the US to pause the war in Gaza have reached a “critical phase”, diplomatic sources say.
The diplomatic activity is part of a renewed drive to have a second truce in place, to head off an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, they said.
Yesterday, US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk was taking part in the negotiations in Cairo. His Middle East trip, which includes a visit to Israel today, is focused on pushing for a humanitarian pause “before the end of the week”, the State Department said.
The US, like Egypt and other stakeholders, fears that ground operations in Rafah could significantly worsen the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave and cause many more civilian casualties.
The southern city on Gaza’s border with Egypt is home to about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians. More than 29,300 have been killed since Israel’s offensive began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
It also comes against the backdrop of a US push for a UN Security Council resolution that calls for a temporary ceasefire “as soon as practicable”.
Washington on Tuesday vetoed
US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk was taking part in the discussions in Cairo and is expected to visit Israel today
another resolution, drafted by Algeria, that called for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior official Khalil Al Haya held talks with Egypt’s spy chief Abbas Kamel, whose General Intelligence Directorate has for years been in charge of relations with Israel and Palestinian factions.
Ahmed Abd Al Hadi, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, told The National that the delegation went to Cairo “for further dialogue and discussion with the Egyptian mediator with the aim of achieving progress in the negotiations”.
A four-man delegation from Israel’s Mossad spy agency was also expected to arrive for talks with Egyptian officials.
“The indirect negotiations in Egypt are ongoing and have reached a critical phase,” a Palestinian source said.
But “the Israeli side is trying to evade its obligation to a truce by threatening to invade Rafah and pressuring the Palestinians through raids and starvation”, added the source. For months, the US, Egypt and Qatar have been working on a deal between Israel and Hamas that would pause the war in Gaza and lead to the release of hostages who have been held since October 7.
The renewed diplomatic efforts come after Hamas abandoned its demand for a permanent ceasefire, instead accepting a temporary pause in fighting, sources said.
The group wants international guarantees that the truce will be followed by negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire.
Previously, the Palestinian militant group insisted on a permanent ceasefire to accept a deal that included the release of hostages.
An Israeli government official declined to comment on these specific reports but told The National that “Israel is fully committed to the release of all hostages. Israel will never stop until all hostages are released”.
But Mr Abd Al Hadi accused the Israeli government of attempting to prolong the war.
“There is no intention by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government to conclude a deal and end the aggression because he believes that this will make his government collapse and he will go to prison,” Mr Abd Al Hadi said.
“Therefore, he is concerned with prolonging the war and is currently threatening to invade Rafah.”