No breakthrough in latest ceasefire talks

THREE days of negotiations with Hamas over a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages have failed to achieve a breakthrough, Egyptian officials said.

The talks were taking place less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline for a deal.

The nearly five months of fighting has left much of Gaza in ruins and created a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with many, especially in the devastated northern region, scrambling for food to survive.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “unacceptable and unsustainable”.

“Israel has to maximise every possible means, every possible method, of getting assistance to people who need it,” he said, calling for more aid to be let in and ensuring it gets delivered.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in return for a six-week ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and an influx of aid to the isolated territory.

Two Egyptian officials said the latest round of discussions ended yesterday. They said Hamas presented a proposal that mediators would discuss with Israel in the coming days. One official said mediators will meet the Hamas delegation today.

Hamas has refused to release all of the estimated 100 hostages it holds, and the bodies of around 30 more, unless Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

Jihad Taha, a Hamas spokesperson, said the negotiations were ongoing but “the ball is in the Israeli court”. He said Israel had thus far refused Hamas’ demands for people who fled northern Gaza to be allowed to return and for guarantees of a long-term ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected Hamas’ demands and vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and all the hostages are returned. Israel did not send a delegation to the latest talks.