Hamas has rejected new Israeli conditions set at Gaza ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital Cairo, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in the latest U.S.-backed effort to end the 10-month war.
A Hamas delegation left Cairo on Sunday after meeting with mediators and receiving an update on the latest round of negotiations.
Two Egyptian security sources told Reuters news agency that the negotiations ended without an agreement, with neither Hamas nor Israel accepting compromises proposed by the mediators.
Key sticking points in the U.S.-Egyptian-Qatari-led negotiations include Israel’s presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow 14.5-km (9-mile) strip of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
In Cairo, the Hamas delegation demanded that Israel be bound by what was agreed on July 2, in accordance with a plan drawn up by US President Joe Biden and a UN Security Council resolution.
While confirming its willingness to implement this agreement to defend the interests of the Palestinian people and put an end to the destruction of the Gaza Strip, the group stressed the need for any agreement to include a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas also said any deal should include freedom of return for Gazans to their homes, aid and reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange agreement.
Meanwhile, the Israel Broadcasting Authority quoted officials as saying there was a slim chance that the Cairo talks would lead to progress in the swap negotiations.
However, there has been no sign of a breakthrough on the issues that divide Israel and Hamas.
The Palestinian group blames Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the lack of progress in the negotiations. The prime minister is accused of imposing new demands and not being serious about reaching a ceasefire.
Netanyahu has said the war in Gaza will continue until a complete victory against Hamas is achieved, even if a deal is reached. This goal has been refuted by many senior Israeli officials, including his own defense minister, and family members of the prisoners have accused Netanyahu of abandoning their loved ones in Gaza.
“No time to lose”
Months of on-and-off negotiations have failed to reach an agreement to end Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza or to release the remaining captives taken by Hamas during the group’s October 7 attacks on Israel.
Continuing the war, in which Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, will only worsen the plight of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, almost all of them homeless in tents or shelters amid the ruins, with rampant malnutrition and spreading disease, and will endanger the lives of the remaining Israeli captives.
UN peace envoy Tor Wennesland said in a social media post: “There is no time to lose.”
“The ongoing talks in Cairo on a ceasefire and the release of hostages are essential to save civilian lives, reduce regional tensions and enable the UN, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority (PA), to accelerate efforts to address the urgent needs of the long-suffering people of Gaza,” he said.
Meanwhile, US General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began an unannounced visit to the Middle East on Saturday to discuss ways to avoid any further escalation of tensions that could escalate into a wider conflict as the region braces for a threat of an Iranian attack on Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire on Sunday as part of the Lebanese group’s response to Israel’s assassination of its top commander Fuad Shukr last month in a Beirut suburb.
Hezbollah has said it will stop its attacks along the border if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since October 8 has intensified recently, including Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, as well as more Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel.
