Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel over a cease-fire in Gaza are being held up by Israel’s proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.
Delegations from both sides began talks in Qatar last Sunday in an effort to reach a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict, which was sparked by Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 hostages taken that day and still believed to be alive would be released if a 60-day cease-fire agreement were reached.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped to clinch a deal “in a few days,” which could then lead to negotiations on a more permanent end to hostilities. But one Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Israel’s refusal to accept Hamas’s demand for a full troop withdrawal from Gaza was stalling progress.
Another source said mediators had asked both sides to pause negotiations until the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha. “The negotiations in Doha are facing setbacks and complex difficulties due to Israel’s insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a withdrawal map that is in fact a redeployment and repositioning plan, not a genuine withdrawal,” the source said.
According to the source, Israel proposed maintaining military forces in more than 40 percent of Gaza, effectively pushing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
“Hamas’s delegation will not accept the Israeli maps… as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and divide Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement,” the source said.
A second Palestinian source accused the Israeli delegation of lacking decision-making authority and “stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination.”
Latest strikes
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing at least 1,219 people — most of them civilians — according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages taken, 49 remain in captivity, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
At least 57,823 Palestinians — also mostly civilians — have been killed since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes across the territory on Saturday.
More than 30 people were killed on Friday, including 10 who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency added.
The Israeli military said Saturday it had struck “approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip” over the past 48 hours. The targets included “terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and other terrorist infrastructure,” it said.
Two previous cease-fires — a week-long truce in late November 2023 and a two-month one starting mid-January — led to the release of 105 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The second Palestinian source said “some progress” had been made in the latest talks concerning the release of Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Netanyahu, under mounting domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralizing Hamas as a security threat remains a prerequisite for any long-term cease-fire. That includes the group disarming, he said, warning that failure to do so would force Israel to act by military means.
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel over a cease-fire in Gaza are being held up by Israel’s proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.Delegations from both sides began talks in Qatar last Sunday in an effort to reach a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict, which was sparked by Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 hostages taken that day and still believed to be alive would be released if a 60-day cease-fire agreement were reached.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped to clinch a deal “in a few days,” which could then lead to negotiations on a more permanent end to hostilities. But one Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the...
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