A meeting in Cairo on a proposed ceasefire linked to the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip ended on Sunday without concrete progress, as Israel and Hamas remain inflexible after seven months of war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel “will not capitulate” to Hamas and cannot “accept” the demands of the Islamist movement, which calls for a permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian territory as a precondition for any agreement, especially on the release of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, continues to threaten to launch an offensive on the overcrowded town of Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.
Read also | Gaza, Africa, Islamophobia: the full text of the speech of H.E. King at the OIC summit
The prime minister also announced his government’s decision to close the Israel office of Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar. The channel, which devoted significant space to reporting on the war in Gaza, stopped broadcasting in Israel in the afternoon.
Al-Jazeera condemned the “criminal” decision, and Hamas condemned the “flagrant violation of media freedom” aimed at “hiding the truth” about the war.
Read also | Gaza: Head of Hamas and CIA in Egypt on final talks
The Qatar-based leader of Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh, earlier accused Mr Netanyahu of “sabotaging the mediator’s efforts” towards a truce, while talks that began a day earlier continued in Cairo between a delegation from the movement and representatives of Qatar and Egypt.
A Hamas official announced at the end of the day that this meeting was over and that the delegation would travel to Doha to consult with its political leadership.
Challenge (with AFP)
Related Posts
two Maghreb rivals in line of battle – La Nouvelle Tribune
The United States is calling for an expedited procedure
