Hamas: Talks will resume next week
Hopes for cease-fire before Ramadan dashed
Negotiators for Hamas left Cairo without a cease-fire deal Thursday, apparently ending hopes that it could be in place ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Israel “refuses to commit to and give guarantees regarding the cease-fire, the return of the displaced and withdrawal from the areas of its incursion.” But he said the talks would resume next week. Ramadan will begin Sunday or Monday depending on the sighting of the moon.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which did not send representatives to the latest round of talks. Israel first wants Hamas to provide detailed information on militant-held Israeli hostages. Hamas said the captives are held by multiple groups and no accounting can take place until a ceasefire is in place.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his firm stand Thursday, speaking at a military officer’s school graduation. Netanyahu, in a translation from the Times of Israel, vowed to eliminate the “murderous regime of Hamas, eliminate terrorists, destroy tunnels” and pursue the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attack while doing everything possible to liberate the more than 100 hostages believed to be held in Gaza.
President Joe Biden said last week that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas could be in place in a matter of days − a political victory he desperately needed. Not only did the breakthrough fail to happen, but tensions are running high, and conditions in Gaza have deteriorated. Israel had in essence agreed to a six-week pause in fighting in exchange for Hamas releasing up to 40 hostages, but Hamas declined the offer.
For Biden, the elusiveness of a deal to pause fighting and release some of the hostages held by Hamas means he will deliver his State of the Union address Thursday without the benefit of a crucial political victory and talking point.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and captured another 250 when they stormed across the border on Oct. 7. Over 100 hostages were released in a cease-fire deal last year.
Israel launched a massive air, land and sea campaign in Gaza that has driven some 80% of the population from their homes and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 20 people in Gaza have died of dehydration and malnutrition, including a teenager and a person in their 70s on Wednesday.
The U.S. military on Thursday conducted its third airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza, U.S. Central Command said. The combined, joint operation included U.S. Air Force and Jordanian C-130 aircraft and U.S. Army soldiers who specialize in aerial delivery of humanitarian assistance supplies.
The drop included over 38,000 meals, “providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza, to enable civilian access to critical aid,” Central Command said in a statement. The first drop, about 39,000 meals on
Saturday, cost about $665,000, according to congressional sources.
UK’s Cameron says Israel has legal duty to supply aid
After meeting top-level U.S. officials early this week, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz paid a visit Wednesday to England, where he heard a similar message: Israel has to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron, now the foreign secretary, said in a social media post he had a “tough but necessary” talk with Gantz, adding: “We are still not seeing improvements on the ground. This must change.”
Cameron laid out the steps Israel must take to alleviate suffering in the battered territory, including agreeing to an immediate humanitarian pause, increasing the land and sea routes for aid to be brought in and expanding the type of assistance allowed.
Cameron said Britain supports Israel’s right to defend itself, but also noted that “as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure aid is available for civilians.”
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 30,717 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military response to Hamas’ incursion. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tallies but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.
Israel says it has killed over 13,000 Hamas fighters, without providing evidence. It blames the high civilian death toll on Hamas because its fighters operate in dense, residential neighborhoods.
The Israeli military released video of its fighter jets attacking two Hezbollah military buildings in Lebanon on Thursday. Israel has focused on Hezbollah outposts as part of a plan to allow evacuated Israelis to return to communities along the Lebanon border.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office said that Muslims will be allowed entry to the Temple Mount during the first week of Ramadan. A weekly assessment of the security and safety aspects will determine access after that.
Clashes between Muslims and Israelis at the Temple Mount’s Al Aqsa mosque have been on the rise in recent years, and some Israeli lawmakers had called for restrictions.
Contributing: Michael Collins and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; The Associated Press