Middle East crisis: Gaza death toll passes 30,000, health ministry says

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who is brokering the talks with Qatar and the United States, offered a rosier view, saying: “God willing, we will reach a ceasefire agreement in the next few days ” to bring “real relief” to the people of Gaza. The prediction matched that of President Biden, who said a deal could happen as early as next week.

But publicly, Hamas and Israel continue to stick to their long-standing positions and have not signaled any breakthroughs. The two sides have not met in person but have negotiated through mediators in Doha, Cairo and Paris. Hamas leaders continue to demand that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire and withdraw all its troops from Gaza, while Israel has insisted it will continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated, suggesting it is unwilling to agree a long-term truce.

On Wednesday evening, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, said at a news conference that he was reluctant to comment on Mr. Biden’s comments that a deal is imminent. “I really hope he’s right,” Mr. Gallant said.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said this week that talks were continuing and that it was too early to speculate on a solution. Mr Haniyeh did not comment on the specific terms of a ceasefire that could be up for debate, and it was not clear whether his comments reflected real concerns or were a negotiating tactic.

The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, around March 10, has emerged as a target for mediators seeking a truce in the war, which began with an October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which authorities there say at least was killed. 1,200 people.

Mr Haniyeh appeared to raise the stakes for reaching an agreement in the coming days, calling on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank to defy Israeli restrictions and march on Israel. the Aqsa Mosque pray at the beginning of Ramadan. That raises the prospect of clashes as Palestinians try to approach the mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam and a flashpoint in relations with Israel for years.

Israel has restricted access to the Aqsa Mosque for Palestinians in the West Bank, and has severely restricted freedom of movement within the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. Israeli officials are debating whether to impose further restrictions on mosque access for some members of the country’s Arab minority, a move that could spark further unrest.

As the death toll from the Gaza war approaches 30,000, pressure is increasing on Israel and the Biden administration, its key ally, to enforce a ceasefire, according to health officials in the territory. Israel has offered at least one significant concessiontold Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators in Paris last week that it was willing to release 15 Palestinians jailed on serious terrorism charges in exchange for five female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza, officials said.

But a Hamas spokesman, Basem Naim, told The New York Times Tuesday that the group had not formally received any “new proposals” since the meeting in Paris. Mr Haniyeh met with Qatar’s emir on Monday and accused Israel of abandoning talks, according to a Hamas statement.

Israeli officials have said the goal is to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. An Israeli delegation – including professionals from Mossad, Israeli intelligence and the military – traveled to Qatar this week for more discussions, including details such as the identities of the hostages and prisoners to be exchanged, an Israeli official said.

An Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said the Israeli team was still in Doha and would return to Israel on Thursday. The official said it was still not clear whether talks would continue in Egypt next week.

Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Nada Rashwan And Adam Sella reporting contributed.