Truce negotiations in Gaza were interrupted this Thursday in Cairo after the departure of the Hamas delegation. Negotiations are expected to resume next week.
Hopes of a truce before the start of Ramadan on Sunday night were dashed with the departure of the Hamas delegation from negotiations in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday. Negotiations should resume next week, the Palestinian group’s delegation said.
Egyptian officials previously said negotiations were deadlocked due to Hamas’ demand for a phased process leading to an end to the war.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar are trying to negotiate a deal that would end fighting for six weeks and provide for the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Offensive intentions of the Israeli government
Egyptian officials said Hamas initially accepted the proposal but wanted to commit to it resulting in a more permanent ceasefire. Israel has publicly ruled out the demand, saying it intends to resume the offensive after any ceasefire with the aim of destroying Hamas.
Israel’s near-total blockade of the Gaza Strip and ongoing fighting have made it almost impossible to get supplies into most of the Gaza Strip, according to aid groups. Among the approximately 300,000 people still living in the northern Gaza Strip, many are reduced to eating fodder to survive. On Thursday, the United States carried out a third airdrop in the northern part of Gaza, where there is no Israeli presence.
Humanitarian visas not renewed
After Israel stopped the renewal of visas for humanitarian workers in Gaza and the West Bank, a coalition of NGOs condemned this initiative which paralyzes the action of its members. Supported by the European Union, AIDA (Association of International Development Agencies) brings together more than 80 organizationsincluding Médecins du Monde, Oxfam, Save the Children, ACTED, Action Against Hunger and Amnesty International.
In early February, Israel’s Ministry of Social Welfare suspended the visa renewal process, explaining that it did not have the means to investigate aid workers’ potential affiliations with militant groups.
According to Faris Arouri, director of the coalition, at least 99 aid workers have had their visas expire or have visas that will expire within the next six months. “Those facing deportation have left the country, while others remain in Israel without the necessary documents” he said on Wednesday.
The visa halt comes as Israel this week stepped up its criticism of the highly regarded UN agency for Palestinian refugees, saying 450 of its employees were members of militant groups in the Gaza Strip. Israel has not provided any evidence to support its accusation.
Major international donors have withheld hundreds of millions of dollars intended for UNRWA, since Israel accused 12 of its employees of participating in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and left about 250 others hostage in the Gaza Strip, according to authorities Israelis. On the Palestinian side, the human toll from the Israeli offensive now exceeds 30,700 deaths, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.
