Pin addition to these negotiations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, during a new tour of the Middle East to promote a truce after almost seven months of war in the Palestinian territories, which he will also lead in Israel.
A meeting is planned in Cairo between Egypt, Qatar, two mediating countries with the United States and Hamas, which must respond to a new ceasefire proposal negotiated by Israel and Egypt, after months of fruitless talks.
“It is too early to talk about a positive atmosphere in the negotiations. The movement has received a response from Israel and is in the consultation phase to respond.Zaher Jabareen, a member of the Hamas political bureau and the negotiating team expected in the Egyptian capital, told AFP.
The official reiterated the demands of the Islamist movement, starting with a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a hypothesis that Israel has always refused to consider.
“The possibility of success or failure will be determined by the ability to decide on a permanent ceasefire, an (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, a clear timetable for the start of reconstruction and an exchange agreement that removes all injustice against Palestinian prisoners, men and women“, he said.
According to media reports, Israel’s war cabinet initially demanded the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza since the war began on October 7, before authorizing negotiators to reduce this number.
The American news site Axios stated that Israel is demanding the release, on humanitarian grounds, of women, civilians or soldiers, and men over 50 or in poor health. According to Axios, Hamas claims that only 20 hostages meet these criteria. The site adds that the number of days of the truce would be equal to the number of freed hostages.
As part of diplomatic efforts to end the war, Antony Blinken is expected this week in Israel, where he last visited in March, as well as in Jordan. The Secretary of State arrived in Riyadh this Monday, where the World Economic Forum (WEF) is meeting on the subject of the conflict.
Invited to the event, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Washington on Sunday to prevent Israel from launching an offensive against Rafah. “America is the only country capable of stopping Israel from committing this crime“, he declared.
“If there is an agreement (ceasefire), we will suspend the operation in Rafah“, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Israeli channel N12 on Saturday. “If there is an opportunity to reach an agreement, we will do it“, he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the offensive on Rafah is necessary to free the hostages and defeat Hamas, which according to Israel has grouped four battalions in this border town with Egypt, which has been turned into a huge refugee camp.
Many capitals and humanitarian organizations fear bloodshed in the event of an offensive on Rafah, which is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid to the territory that Israel has besieged and plunged into a major humanitarian crisis.
Faced with difficulties in delivering aid by road, particularly to northern Gaza, several countries are participating in airdrop operations, while the United States has begun building a floating dock facing the coast that should be operational from here.”two to three weeks“, states Washington.
In the switchboard on Sunday, Biden and Netanyahu “discussed increasing the delivery of humanitarian aid” in Gaza, “especially through preparations for the opening of new crossings in the north this week” coastal territories, according to the White House.
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