Israel won’t join cease-fire talks in Cairo
Hamas refuses to release list of hostages
Hopes for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza took another setback Sunday when Israel refused to send a negotiating team to Cairo, citing Hamas’ refusal to release the names of hostages who are still alive.
Representatives from Hamas, Qatar and the U.S. are in Cairo for the talks. Multiple Israeli news outlets including the Jerusalem Post were reporting that the Israel delegation will not make the journey until the list is provided and other details of Hamas demands, including the health status of the hostages, are revealed. Israel also wants to know how many Israelheld prisoners would be freed for every hostage released under any deal.
Hamas will make no deal without Israel agreeing to end the war in Gaza, CNN reported, citing “a highly placed source” in the militant group. That could be a deal-breaker − Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel won’t end the the war until Hamas has been eliminated.
President Joe Biden has been bullish on a deal, saying last week he hoped an agreement could be reached ahead of Ramadan. The Muslim holy month begins in a week.
Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, rampaging through communities, killing some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and taking around 250 hostages, including children and a newborn.
Israel has said that more than 30 of the 130 remaining hostages held since
the incursion are dead. The first phase of the deal in the works reportedly called for the release of 40 hostages, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, in the course of a six-week truce. About 400 Palestinian prisoners would be freed by Israel.
US airdropped aid into Gaza
The United States began airdropping humanitarian aid into the stricken Gaza Strip on Saturday, days after over 100 Palestinians were killed when witnesses said Israeli forces fired at people waiting for food in Gaza City.
U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo planes, along with Jordan’s air force, conducted airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza for two hours on Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command. The planes dropped over 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza allowing for civilian access to the critical aid.
The Pentagon is planning for future airborne aid drops, according to a statement from Central Command. The parachute-borne packages have been packed so that they can be dropped safely in populated areas.
Biden announced Friday that the airdrops would begin, saying the U.S. would join Jordan and other countries to provide the airdrops of supplies, and would look to open up other avenues for delivering support.
Humanitarian group officials have said airdrops aren’t an efficient way to distribute aid and are a measure of last resort.
Netanyahu political rival draws fire for visiting Washington
A top Israeli Cabinet minister headed to Washington on Sunday for talks with U.S. officials over the objections of Netanyahu. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu’s hard-line government following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, comes amid deep disagreements between Netanyahu and Biden over the war in Gaza and a postwar vision for the enclave.
Gantz is set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Gantz’s National Unity Party announced. Netanyahu instructed the Israeli Embassy in the U.S. to withhold any assistance in arranging the meetings, Israel Hayom reported.
“You entered the emergency government to create a consensus during the war,” Israeli lawmaker and Netanyahu supporter David Amsalem wrote on social media. “Not to stop the (Israeli military) from winning the war and create an opportunity to lead the process of establishing a Palestinian state that will eliminate the State of Israel!”