Cairo/Gaza (Reuters) – Efforts to reach a new ceasefire in the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas appear to be moving.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh traveled to Egypt on Wednesday, acting as one of the mediators between the conflicting parties. An insider said talks were underway to discuss a possible ceasefire and a further exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The talks are intensive and a breakthrough is possible within days.
Hanijeh usually stays in Qatar, which also plays an intermediary role. He was last in Egypt at the beginning of November. The only agreement to date for a temporary ceasefire was then announced. The guns remained largely silent for a week while urgently needed aid was flown into the Gaza Strip and Hamas released more than 100 of the roughly 240 hostages it took in its Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel. In return, Israel released numerous Palestinian prison inmates.
However, when the ceasefire was no longer extended in early December, both sides resumed fighting. Israel expanded its military operations, particularly to the south of the Gaza Strip, after previously instructing the civilian population to seek safety there. As a result, the humanitarian situation worsened and the number of Palestinians killed rose to almost 20,000, according to the Hamas-controlled authorities in the Gaza Strip.
Israel therefore came under increasing pressure from its allies to agree to a new ceasefire. Domestically, calls for the government to reach a new agreement to release more hostages also grew louder, especially after it emerged that Israeli soldiers had accidentally killed three hostages. Israel believes there are still 129 hostages in the Gaza Strip. However, it is believed that 21 of them may have died in captivity.
INSIDER: STILL OPEN QUESTIONS IN DISCUSSIONS
According to the person who is privy to the ongoing talks, the negotiators are discussing which hostages should be exchanged for which prisoners next. Israel insists that Hamas release all remaining women and “frail men.” In return, Palestinians convicted of serious crimes could end up on the list of prisoners to be released.
A senior Israeli official reiterated the government’s stance that the war could only end with the release of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas. A representative of the Palestinian side made it clear that Hamas was also sticking to its position. A “humanitarian pause”, i.e. another temporary ceasefire, is out of the question for them. “Hamas wants a complete end to Israel’s war on Gaza.” Haniyeh welcomed Egypt’s efforts. He is in Cairo to hear whether Israel has made new proposals or whether Cairo has any. “It’s still early to talk about expectations.”
(Report by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud, written by Christian Rüttger; Edited by Scot W. Stevenson; If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected] (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom @thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)