PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in telephone talks to reach a deal in negotiations with Palestinian resistance group Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The president encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to successfully complete these negotiations which could lead to the release of hostages, the protection of civilians through a ceasefire and regional de-escalation,” the French presidency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Hamas official said on Sunday the group’s delegation for Gaza truce talks in Cairo was leaving for Qatar, after public disagreement with Israel intensified over demands to end their seven-month war.
“The meeting with the Egyptian intelligence minister has ended and the Hamas delegation is leaving for Doha for further consultations,” said the official, who is close to the talks process, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to publicly discuss the talks.
Negotiations resumed on Sunday with the Hamas delegation engaging with Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the shutdown of operations of the news channel Al Jazeera in Israel.
The mediators have proposed a 40-day pause in the fighting and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by Britain.
After “no developments” in the first round, a senior Hamas official insisted the group would “not agree under any circumstances” to a truce that did not explicitly include a complete end to the war, including Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas chief Haniyeh said Netanyahu wanted to “invent constant justifications for the continuation of aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging efforts made through various mediators and parties”.
He said Hamas “remains eager to reach a comprehensive and interconnected agreement in stages, ending the aggression, ensuring withdrawal, and achieving a serious prisoner exchange deal”.
Netanyahu reiterated his government’s rejection of Hamas’s demand to end the ongoing conflict, asserting that acceptance of such demands would equate to defeat. In response, the political chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, accused Netanyahu of undermining the talks.
The toll of the protracted conflict continues to mount, with reports of Israeli shelling and gunfire in Gaza City, helicopter fire in central and southern Gaza, and a missile strike on a house in the Rafah area. The latest casualties include at least 29 deaths over the previous day, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. “We hope and pray to God that the negotiations succeed,” Amani al-Sowerki of Gaza City said in Rafah, southern Gaza, expressing hope that she and others displaced by the war will be able to go home.
Since October 7, Israel’s relentless bombardment campaign has killed at least 34,683 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The latest toll included at least 29 deaths over the previous day, the ministry said.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, including from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, negotiations are ongoing in Cairo without Israeli representation. The mediators have proposed a 40-day pause in the fighting and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive truce.
However, previous negotiation efforts have stalled due to Hamas’s insistence on a complete end to the war, including Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu, facing protests at home and corruption charges, remains steadfast in his refusal to accept Hamas’s demands, vowing to continue the fighting until all of Israel’s goals are achieved.
