Hamas negotiators began more intense negotiations this Saturday for a possible truce in Gaza, in which there would be a halt in fighting and the return of some hostages to Israel, a Hamas official told Reuters, with the director of the CIA, the central intelligence agency. United States intelligence, present in Cairo for indirect diplomacy.
The Hamas delegation arrived from the political office of the Palestinian Islamic movement in Qatar, which, alongside Egypt, tried to broker the continuation of a brief ceasefire in November amid growing consternation around the world over the mounting deaths in Gaza. and the suffering of its 2.3 million inhabitants.
Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and adviser to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators had begun and that Hamas was handling their proposals with “full seriousness and responsibility.”
However, he reiterated the group’s demand that any deal include Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions Israel has previously rejected.
“Any agreement must include our national demands; a complete and permanent end to aggression, a full and complete withdrawal from the occupation of the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced people to their homes without restriction, and a true prisoner exchange agreement, as well as reconstruction and the end of the blockade,” a Hamas official told Reuters.
An Israeli official signaled that the country’s central position on this has not changed, saying that “Israel, under no circumstances, agrees to end the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages.”
The war began after Hamas shocked Israel with an attack on October 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 hostages were taken, according to Israeli counts.
More than 34,600 Palestinians were killed — 32 of them in the last 24 hours — and more than 77,000 were injured in the military operation, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The bombing devastated much of the coastal enclave.
PRESSURE FOR THE AGREEMENT
Before talks began, there was optimism about a possible agreement.
“Things look better this time, but whether a deal is within reach will depend on whether Israel offers what is needed to make it happen,” a Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediation attempts, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.
The United States — which like other Western powers and Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group — has called on the group to reach an agreement.
Progress has been held back, however, by Hamas’ demand that Israel commit to ending the offensive. Israel insists that, after any truce, it will resume operations with the aim of disarming and dismantling the faction.
Egyptian sources said CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo on Friday. He has been in previous talks for a truce and Washington has signaled there may be progress this time.
The CIA declined to comment on Burns’ itinerary.
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