Israel abandons ceasefire talks as Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and an exchange of hostages held by militants there for Palestinian prisoners, said an official of the group, Basem Naim . But a breakthrough in the negotiations did not appear imminent, as Israel decided not to attend.
Israel made the decision after Qatari Prime Minister informed David Barnea, the head of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, on Sunday that Hamas had rejected an Israeli request to provide a list of the hostages still alive, according to a statement. an Israeli official.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he had requested the names of hostages who would be released under an agreement.
Another factor that played a role in Israel’s decision was that Hamas refused to agree to the terms for exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners that the United States presented in Paris about 10 days ago, said two Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized. publicly.
The US plan called for Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages, with different numbers of prisoners traded for different categories of hostages, according to two officials with knowledge of the negotiations.
Mr. Naim declined to comment on the claims about Hamas’ denials.
The United States has pushed for a ceasefire ahead of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that starts in about a week, but slow progress in talks has made that a challenge.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, led the delegation in Cairo, Mr. Naim said in a text message.
Sticking points in the negotiations included the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, including the number of life sentences, and whether a ceasefire would be permanent or temporary.
On Saturday, a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts, told reporters that Israel had “more or less accepted” a framework for the deal and that the ball was now in Hamas’s court.
But Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, suggested on Saturday that the talks were not making progress.
“We have not seen any change in the Israeli position at all,” Mr Mardawi told Al Jazeera in a live interview. “It didn’t get us anything.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that progress in the talks will require Hamas to soften its “ridiculous demands.”
President Biden said on Thursday that the bloodshed in northern Gaza earlier in the day, when dozens of Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces opened fire around a convoy of aid trucks, would complicate ceasefire negotiations.
“I know this will happen,” he told reporters in Washington, backing away from his earlier prediction that there could be an agreement by Monday. “Probably not Monday, but I’m hopeful,” he said.
The Israeli military has said most of those killed in Thursday’s chaotic scene were killed in a collision around the vehicles. Palestinian witnesses and doctors have said that Israeli forces fired extensively, wounding and killing many.