- Hamas has brought delegates from Qatar in a “positive spirit”
Peace talks were held in Cairo last night over a Gaza ceasefire deal that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called a “no-brainer” for Hamas.
Hamas said its delegation flew from Qatar in a “positive spirit” after studying the truce proposal, which would see the fighting cease and the hostages return to Israel.
“We are determined to reach an agreement that meets the demands of the Palestinians,” said a statement from the Islamist militant group’s negotiators.
Columns of smoke rise into the sky following an Israeli bombardment in the center of the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pictured) called the peace deal “a no-brainer” for Hamas.
Palestinian children who fled Rafah city join crowds to protest for peace
The main question appears to be whether the ceasefire agreement would be permanent or temporary.
Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official, said meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators had begun and that Hamas was approaching their proposals “with complete seriousness.”
He reiterated the group’s demand that any agreement should include Israel’s departure from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions that Israel has previously rejected.
An Israeli official said: “Israel will, under no circumstances, agree to end the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages.”
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages.
More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,000 injured in Israel’s military operation, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
There was some optimism that an agreement could be reached.
“Things are looking better this time, but whether a deal is available will depend on whether Israel has offered what is necessary to make that happen,” a Palestinian official told Reuters.
Israel has given preliminary approval to terms that one source said included the return of between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a suspension of fighting for weeks.
That would leave around 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom have died in captivity, according to Israel.
The source told Reuters his return could require an additional deal with broader Israeli concessions.
“That could imply a de facto, if not formal, end to the war, unless Israel somehow takes them back by force or generates enough military pressure to make Hamas relent,” the source said.
Egyptian sources said CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo on Friday.
It has been involved in previous truce talks, and Washington has signaled that there may be progress this time, with Blinken saying that “approving the ceasefire should be a no-brainer” for Hamas.
Meanwhile, Cindy McCain, head of the UN World Food Programme, has said that northern Gaza has fallen into a “full-blown famine” that is heading south.
“It’s horror,” he told NBC, adding that a ceasefire and a greater flow of aid were urgently needed.