GAZA: Negotiators from the United States, Israel, and Hamas are set to meet in Cairo over the weekend in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal, as the conflict in Gaza reaches its six-month mark on Sunday, AFP reported.
Prior to the talks, Hamas reiterated their core demands, which include a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
The ceasefire initiative follows a rare acknowledgement of wrongdoing by Israel’s military, which announced the dismissal of two officers over the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza. The incident sparked international outrage and calls for an independent investigation.
The deaths of the aid workers prompted a tense phone call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which Biden urged an “immediate ceasefire” and emphasized the need to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
The Gaza conflict, which began on October 7, has resulted in significant Palestinian casualties. Since October 7, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory, killing at least 33,137 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian chief has decried Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling for accountability for what he described as a “betrayal of humanity.”
Ahead of the talks, Biden urged Egypt and Qatar to secure commitments from Hamas to abide by a potential ceasefire agreement. However, negotiations have been hindered by disagreements over key issues, including the release of hostages and the return of displaced Gazans.
The White House confirmed negotiations would occur this weekend in Cairo, and Hamas said its delegation would head there on Sunday.
But Hamas also reiterated its key demands. “Hamas confirms its adherence to the position it presented on March 14 and we will not back down from this position,” Hamas said in a statement.
“The demands … are complete ceasefire, withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced Palestinians to their residential areas, freedom of movement of the people, offering them aid and shelter, and a serious hostage exchange deal,” it said.
As pressure mounts on Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, international calls for accountability and justice have intensified. However, the situation remains dire for Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants, with aid reaching the territory deemed insufficient to meet basic necessities.
UN agencies have accused Israel of blocking aid, but Israel blames shortages on aid groups’ inability to distribute supplies once they get in.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense agency, told AFP Saturday that aid reaching Gaza is “absolutely not sufficient” for its 2.4 million people, with basic necessities “extremely scarce” particularly in the north. “Children are dying from hunger” there, he said.
Around 1.5 million Gazans are sheltering in the territory’s far south, in Rafah. “We are ordinary citizens and human beings,” Siham Achur, 50, said in the tent that is now her family’s home. “Why did they bomb our house?”
