Sides differ on progress in ceasefire
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo yesterday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in ceasefire talks for Gaza. But Israel hasn’t sent a delegation and a senior Israeli official downplayed prospects for a full end to the war while emphasising the commitment to invading Rafah.
Pressure has mounted to reach a deal halting the nearly 7-month-long war. A top UN official says there is now a “full-blown famine” in northern Gaza, while the United States has repeatedly warned close ally Israel about its planned offensive into Rafah, the southernmost city on the border with Egypt, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days, but chances for a ceasefire deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying militant group Hamas.
Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News TV channel said that a consensus had been reached over many disputed points but did not elaborate. Hamas has called for a complete end to the war and withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.
A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, played down the prospects for a full end to the war. The official said Israel was committed to the Rafah invasion and that it will not agree in any circumstance to end the war as part of a deal to release hostages.
The proposal that Egyptian mediators had put to Hamas sets out a three-stage process that would bring an immediate, six-week ceasefire and partial release of Israeli hostages, and would include some sort of Israeli pullout. The initial stage would last for 40 days. Hamas would start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Tension at universities
Protesters chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan’s commencement yesterday, as student demonstrations against the war collided with the annual pompand-circumstance of graduation season at American universities.
The protest saw about 75 people, many wearing traditional Arabic keffiyeh along with their graduation caps, march up the main aisle toward the graduation stage.
They chanted “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” while holding signs, including one that read: “No universities left in Gaza.”
Overhead, planes flew competing messages. One read: “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!” The other read: “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.”
Officials said no one was arrested, and the protest didn’t seriously interrupt the nearly two-hour event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, some of them waving Israeli flags.
Michigan was among the schools bracing for protests during its commencement ceremonies, including Indiana University, Ohio State University and Northeastern University in Boston. Many more are slated in the coming weeks.