‘Progress’ in ceasefire talks
Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel to end the conflict in Gaza have made progress as negotiators gather in Cairo but details are yet to be worked out, according to people familiar with the talks.
The director of the CIA, William Burns and a Hamas delegation were in the Egyptian capital on Saturday (local time) to work out the remaining points of disagreement amid pressure on both the Palestinian militant group and Israel to reach a deal.
Any ceasefire would provide a much-needed respite from the punishing seven-month war that has killed tens of thousands and threatened to escalate into a regional conflict between Israel and Iran.
It would also prevent, at least for some weeks, a planned Israeli operation in southern Gaza that the United Nations has warned could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Under the agreement, Israel and Hamas would call a 40-day ceasefire and Israeli hostages held by militants would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Previous rounds of negotiations to end the war in Gaza failed because of disagreements between Hamas and Israel on permanently ending the war, something Israel has rejected.
The latest proposal, which the United States and Britain have described as generous, would call for talks within the first four weeks on ending the war.
That would fall short of an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire, though Hamas officials have previously said they would accept the compromise.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will release about 33 hostages classified as vulnerable in exchange for about 1000 Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli hostages include women, the elderly and the ill.
The militants kidnapped more than 200 people when they attacked Israel on October
7, massacring about 1200 people and triggering the Israeli response.
Those of the remaining hostages who are still alive, estimated to be about 100, will be released if the ceasefire is extended into more phases. Hamas released several dozen hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a brief ceasefire in November.
People familiar with the talks warned there was no concrete agreement yet.
One of Hamas’ other key demands is to allow the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fighting in northern Gaza to return home, something Israel had initially rejected, before softening its position in recent weeks.
The ceasefire would also allow more aid into Gaza, where the UN has said the population risks famine. Much of the territory has been destroyed or damaged in the Israeli assault and more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel has kept up pressure on Hamas with threats to invade Rafah, in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.
Israel says Hamas’ leaders and remaining battalions are holed up in the city but the US and other Western allies have warned against the operation unless Israel provides a credible plan to evacuate civilians and avoid harming them.
Several dozen House Democrats have signed a letter asking American President Joe Biden to halt weapons shipments to Israel unless it starts to change its conduct in Gaza.
The war has become an election issue for Biden, who is staunchly supportive of Israel but faces increasing criticism from the left of his party.
Student protests on US campuses against the administration’s position on the war, as well as universities’ links to Israel, have led to clashes with police and counter-protesters in recent weeks. – The Times