The prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza seemed slim on Sunday (5), when Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu categorically ruled out this possibility.
Both sides blamed each other for the impasse.
On the second day of truce talks in Cairo, with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, Hamas negotiators maintained their position that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials said.
Israeli officials did not travel to Cairo to participate via indirect diplomacy.
However, this Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated Israel's objective since the start of the war, almost seven months ago: to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas for good.
The prime minister said Israel was willing to halt fighting in Gaza in order to secure the release of the hostages still held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130.
“But although Israel has demonstrated its will, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, the first of which is the demand to withdraw all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu said. “Israel cannot accept this.”
In a statement released shortly after Netanyahu's, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the group was still interested in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that would end Israeli “aggression,” guarantee Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and achieve a “serious” agreement to release their hostages in exchange for Israel’s Palestinian prisoners.
Haniyeh blamed Netanyahu for “the continuation of aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and the sabotage of efforts made through mediators and various parties.”
The war began after Hamas surprised Israel with an attack on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 hostages taken, according to Israeli records.
More than 34,600 Palestinians were killed, 29 of them in the last 24 hours, and more than 77,000 were injured in Israel's attack, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Bombings have devastated much of the coastal enclave, causing a humanitarian crisis.
As talks continued, residents and health officials in Gaza said Israeli planes and tanks continued to attack areas across the Palestinian enclave overnight, killing and injuring several people.
Mediation
Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian official told Reuters that talks in Cairo were “facing challenges because the occupation refuses to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire.”
However, he added that the Hamas delegation would remain in Cairo with the hope that mediators could pressure Israel to change its position.
Qatar, where Hamas has a political office, and Egypt are seeking to revive a brief ceasefire held in November amid international concern over the rising death toll in Gaza and the plight of its 2.3 million inhabitants. .
Egyptian sources said that CIA director William Burns, who was also involved in previous truce negotiations, arrived in Cairo on Friday (3).
Washington – which, like other Western powers and Israel, classifies Hamas as a terrorist group – instructed the CIA director to promote an agreement.
Israel gave a preliminary nod to the terms, which one source said included the return of 20 to 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as a truce lasting several weeks.
That would still leave around 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom Israel says died in captivity. The source, who asked not to be identified by name or nationality, told Reuters their return may require an additional arrangement.
Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that would allow the remaining hostages to be brought home.
Source: CNN Brasil
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