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Reuters
24-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Israel brings delegation home from Gaza ceasefire talks to discuss Hamas response
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, July 24 (Reuters) - Israel brought its delegation home from Gaza ceasefire talks for consultations on Thursday after Hamas delivered a new response to a proposal for a truce and hostages deal. The Israeli Prime Minister's office thanked mediators for their efforts and said the negotiators were returning home for "further consultations". Earlier it said Israel was reviewing the response from Hamas. Two sources familiar with the negotiations in Qatar said Israel's decision to bring its delegation back home did not necessarily indicate a crisis in the talks. A senior Hamas source told Reuters that there was still a chance of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement but it would take a few days because of what he called Israeli stalling. The source said Hamas' response included requesting a clause that would prevent Israel from resuming the war if an agreement was not reached within the 60-day truce period. Both sides are facing huge pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal, with the humanitarian conditions inside Gaza deteriorating sharply amidst widespread, acute hunger that has shocked the world. A senior Israeli official was quoted by local media as saying the new text was something Israel could work with. However, Israel's Channel 12 said a rapid deal was not within reach, with gaps remaining between the two sides, including over where the Israeli military should withdraw to during any truce. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the latest Hamas position was "flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation". Dozens of people have starved to death in Gaza the last few weeks as a wave of hunger crashes on the Palestinian enclave, according to local health authorities. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday 21 children under the age of five were among those who died of malnutrition so far this year. Later on Thursday, the Gaza health ministry said two more people had died of malnutrition. The head of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said the two were patients suffering from other illnesses who died after going without food for several days. Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let in enough food for Gaza's 2.2 million people over the course of the war, and blames the United Nations for being slow to deliver it; the U.N. says it is operating as effectively as possible under conditions imposed by Israel. The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for nearly two years since Hamas killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages from southern Israel in the deadliest single attack in Israel's history. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, decimated Hamas as a military force, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times. Israeli forces on Thursday hit the central Gaza towns of Nuseirat, Deir Al-Balah and Bureij. Health officials at Al-Awda Hospital said three people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Nuseirat, three more died from tank shelling in Deir Al-Balah, and separate airstrikes in Bureij killed a man and a woman and wounded several others. Nasser Hospital said three people were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in southern Gaza near the so-called Morag axis between Khan Younis and Rafah. The Israeli military said Palestinian militants had fired a projectile overnight from Khan Younis toward an aid distribution site near Morag. Washington has been pushing the warring sides towards a deal for a 60-day ceasefire that would free some of the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza in return for prisoners jailed in Israel, and allow in aid. U.S. Middle East peace envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Europe this week for meetings on the Gaza war and a range of other issues. An Israeli official said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer would meet Witkoff on Friday if gaps between Israel and Hamas over ceasefire terms had narrowed sufficiently. Mediators say Hamas is seeking a withdrawal of Israeli troops to positions held before March 2, when Israel ended a previous ceasefire, and the delivery of aid under U.N. supervision. That would exclude a newly formed U.S.-based group, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, which began handing out food in May at sites located near Israeli troops who have shot dead hundreds of Palestinians trying to get aid.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel has 'made significant strides' in Qatar talks, Hamas is curbing progress
"The flexibility and constructive approach shown by Israel in the negotiations are not matched by Hamas,' the official said. Israel has made "significant strides" in its efforts to reach a hostage deal; however, Hamas is hindering a breakthrough, an Israeli official said Friday, after 12 days of intensive negotiations in Doha, Qatar. In the early hours of Thursday morning, an updated proposal was presented to both sides by the mediators, but talks remain tense and fraught with obstacles. The official clarified that despite the difficulties, the Israeli delegation remains in Qatar. 'It's not a matter of optimism or pessimism,' the official said. 'But we must be realistic about Hamas's conduct.' According to the official, Israel remains committed to exhausting all remaining avenues within the negotiation framework, though concerns about the process are growing: 'We question Hamas's seriousness. We are approaching a critical juncture. Hamas's foot-dragging - even if it believes it serves its interests - may ultimately work against it.' A key sticking point is Hamas's refusal to proceed to discussions on the so-called 'key issue' - referring to the identity and number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages - until an agreement is reached on the deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza. The parties continue to struggle over the maps that were presented. The official stressed that Israel will not return to force deployments along the January or March lines. 'There is no basis for that in any stage of the negotiations.' Netanyahu allowing considerable leeway in negotiations Israeli delegation arrived in Qatar with a broad mandate and considerable operational leeway from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official continued. 'Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer are in constant contact with the delegation. "The flexibility and constructive approach shown by Israel in the negotiations are not matched by Hamas,' the official said. In parallel, a separate humanitarian dialogue channel was opened last week in Egypt to advance humanitarian aspects of the deal. According to the official, there has been some progress on that front — but the road to an agreement remains challenging. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Significant progress in hostage talks following further Israeli flexibility, sources tell 'Post'
A meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations on Wednesday, in which Israel presented new maps that included additional Israeli concessions. Israel has effectively conceded control over the Morag Corridor, based on the maps it presented to hostage negotiation mediators, two sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. Earlier, a meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations, during which Israel presented new maps reflecting additional flexibility on its part. A source involved in the negotiations told the Post: 'The focus now is no longer on the Morag Corridor; it's on the Israeli presence in the Rafah area. That's where the discussions are currently centered.' According to the source, the mediators are optimistic (not for the first time) and believe the new maps significantly advance the chances of reaching a deal soon. A senior diplomatic official told reporters that a hostage deal – which would involve the release of 10 hostages, the return of the bodies of 18 others, along with a 60-day truce – is 'attainable.' 'We, as a government, are interested in a framework for a hostage release,' the official said. 'There are differing political opinions in Israel, but the government is committed to a hostage deal, and that's the line the prime minister is leading. I believe a deal is achievable. It's not simple. Negotiating with Hamas is neither easy nor quick, and I can't give a timeline, but it is within reach.' According to the official, Hamas's agreement to the Witkoff framework demonstrates a shift in its position. 'This is the result of intense military pressure, strong American involvement, and Washington's desire to achieve a deal. Because of that interest – and the US-Qatar relationship – Qatar is now engaging at a different level.' Internal disagreements within Israel's cabinets, possible concessions The official also revealed internal disagreements within the Israeli cabinet over the concessions involved in the deal: 'There were cabinet members who said, 'Don't give up any territory we took during Operation Gideon's Chariots.' I told them: 'Then just say you don't want a deal.'' The official stressed that there is no commitment to ending the war, and that the ceasefire would be temporary, lasting 60 days, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Netanyahu's statements confirm intentional obstruction of truce: Hamas
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, stated that remarks by occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he told the families of captives that a comprehensive deal is not possible, 'confirm malicious intentions to obstruct reaching an agreement.' The movement noted that it had previously proposed a comprehensive deal that includes a prisoner exchange, a ceasefire, and full withdrawal of occupation forces, but Netanyahu rejected the offer and continues to evade a resolution. Hamas reaffirmed its positive engagement in negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive agreement that ensures a ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces, and guarantees the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Read more: No visits by Netanyahu to families of soldiers killed in Gaza Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza remain mired in deadlock as "Israel" continues to impose conditions aimed at solidifying its military grip over the besieged territory, a Palestinian source close to the negotiations told Al Mayadeen on Thursday. Describing the situation as "difficult and complex," the source confirmed that no agreement has been reached on any of the core issues, with the occupation's intransigence obstructing progress. The Israeli delegation, the source revealed, is demanding to retain control over more than a third of the Gaza Strip, insisting on full authority over Rafah and maintaining a military buffer exceeding two kilometers along the eastern and northern borders. Compounding the crisis, the source added that "Israel" is pushing to preserve the current mechanism for humanitarian aid delivery routes that Palestinians have condemned as "death traps" due to their exposure to sniper fire and bombings. These routes, established unilaterally by the occupation, have repeatedly endangered civilians and obstructed life-saving assistance. Read more: Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war for far-right ministers, Lieberman says
Al Arabiya
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israeli delegation departs for Gaza talks in Doha: Media
An Israeli delegation has departed to Qatar to participate in Gaza ceasefire talks that will be held in Doha, Israeli media report.
