After a seven-month war, efforts to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have come to a standstill. The latest meeting in Cairo concluded on Sunday without any concrete progress due to the inflexible positions of both sides. According to a senior Hamas official, the delegation from the Islamist group left for Qatar after disagreements intensified over the terms of an agreement, which included a truce and hostage release.
However, there is hope that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel will continue. A group will return to Egyptian capital on Tuesday to conclude these talks as reported by Al Qahera News, citing a well-informed source. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that accepting Hamas’ demands for an end to the war in Gaza would be a terrible defeat for Israel and equivalent to capitulation. In response, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Netanyahu of sabotaging mediators’ efforts and obtaining a truce in the devastated Palestinian territory.
The war broke out on October 7 after an attack by Islamist commandos in southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians and kidnapped around 250 according to Israeli data. Israeli authorities estimate that 128 people remain captive in Gaza with 35 having died so far following an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November. The offensive launched by Israel has resulted in 34,683 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians according to Ministry of Health data.
Israeli leader announced the closure of Qatari news network Al Jazeera in the country for its coverage of the war in Gaza. The channel called this decision criminal and stated that it will resort to all available legal avenues to reverse it. The latest truce proposal presented by international mediators includes a 40-day cessation of fighting and an exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. During negotiations in Egypt, a Hamas leader insisted that they would not accept anything less than an explicit agreement ending