Israel withheld its delegation in Cairo because Hamas rejected one of its requests, according to an Israeli media report.
Hamas officials arrived in Cairo, Egypt, for talks on reaching a truce in the Gaza war, after a U.S. official said Israel had approved a framework for a ceasefire. temporary fire and an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas representatives arrived in Cairo on Sunday, but by early evening no Israeli delegation was present for talks led by envoys from Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Israeli media reported that Israel did not send a team after the Palestinian group refused to do so. share a list of captives still alive in the besieged territory.
“There is no Israeli delegation in Cairo,” Israeli newspaper Ynet quoted unidentified Israeli officials as saying. “Hamas refuses to provide clear answers and therefore there is no reason to send the Israeli delegation. »
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.
A senior Hamas official told Tel Aviv Tribune that his delegation was in Cairo “to meet the Egyptian and Qatari brothers and present the movement’s vision.” Whether or not the occupation delegation arrives in Cairo is of no concern to us,” he said.
A source briefed on the discussions told the Reuters news agency a day earlier that Israel could stay away from Cairo unless Hamas first presents the list of prisoners.
A Palestinian source told the agency that Hamas has so far rejected the request.
A US official said earlier that Israel had agreed to the framework of a truce agreement that will be discussed in Cairo.
“There is a framework agreement. The Israelis have more or less accepted it,” a senior US official in President Joe Biden’s administration said on Saturday.
The framework proposal includes a six-week ceasefire, as well as the release by Hamas of captives considered vulnerable, including the sick, wounded, elderly and women, the US official said.
Israel and Hamas have made several demands amid growing pressure from the United States to reach a deal for a truce to take effect before the start of Ramadan, scheduled for around March 10 or 11.
The framework mentioned by the American official could lead to the first extended truce in the war, which has raged since October 7, with a break of only one week in November. But this would fail to meet Hamas’ main demand, namely a definitive end to the war.
Reporting from Rafah, southern Gaza, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said Hamas continues to demand that Israel accept “a complete military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, as well as a full return of population towards the north.
A possible truce deal would also see the release of prisoners held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees. A deal could also lead to increased aid deliveries at a time when aid agencies have warned that many Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,139 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel responded with a devastating bombing and ground invasion of Gaza that killed more than 30,400 people, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli assault has destroyed large parts of the besieged territory and displaced more than 80 percent of the population.
