Talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to resume today in Cairo, according to the Egyptian publication Al-Qahera.
Previously, Egypt, Qatar and Israel’s key ally, the United States, mediated in earlier rounds of talks, but no practical agreement was ever reached. They had hoped to achieve a ceasefire before Ramadan began, though progress has stalled with the Muslim holy month more than halfway through.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that the Israeli PM had spoken to Mossad chief David Barnea about the talks, without specifying whether Barnea would travel to any city. The Israeli Prime Minister approved a new round of ceasefire talks to be held in Doha and Cairo.
Reports of new talks in Cairo came after protesters in Israel’s largest city blocked a main road yesterday after demonstrations calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and criticising the government’s handling of the war. Demonstrations in Israel have been gaining momentum recently as people’s frustration with the government and its reluctance to go along with hostage swap agreements has been causing frustration among the people.
Now a key element of the ceasefire talks has been an agreement to release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
On Monday, the Security Council passed a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, and a UN court ordered Israel on Thursday to “ensure urgent humanitarian assistance” reaches civilians, though neither of these developments seems to have changed the situation on the ground.
The Israel-Hamas war broke out after a cross-border Hamas attack on 7 October that killed fewer than 1,200 Israelis. Israel subsequently launched a massive counter-offensive that has caused the deaths of more than 32,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, as well as extensive destruction, displacement and starvation.
