“All parties, including Israel, agree to return to the negotiating table for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas,” reported today the Egyptian media outlet Al-Qahera News, which belongs to the information services, citing a high-ranking official, amid the new talks taking place in Cairo today, following Hamas’s acceptance of a ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar.
Earlier today, the same source reported that mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States conducted talks in Cairo with Hamas.
Netanyahu stated that he instructed the Israeli delegation to “remain steadfast regarding the conditions necessary for the release” of the hostages, as well as for the “fundamental” conditions for ensuring Israel’s security.
A correspondent from the French news agency reported that airstrikes took place tonight in Rafah.
New Turkish provocation: Ankara issues a NAVTEX blocking the center of the Aegean Sea
A senior Hamas leader stated that these talks “could be the last chance for the Israeli captives to return alive.” According to the second-ranking Hamas political figure in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, the proposal accepted by his movement includes three phases, each lasting 42 days, and involves Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territory, the return of displaced persons, and the exchange of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, aiming for a “permanent ceasefire.”
Israel currently opposes a ceasefire as long as Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, has not been defeated. Hamas, on the other hand, demands a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
