2024-05-06 05:51:40
The ongoing negotiations, which aim to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, are witnessing positive progress,” according to what the Egyptian “Cairo News” channel quoted a source it described as “high-level,” on Sunday, noting that “the return of residents to the northern Strip Among the terms of the agreement.”
The source said: “There is positive progress in the negotiations, and what is published about the terms of the agreement in the media is inaccurate.”
He continued: “The return of the displaced Palestinian population from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north is among the terms of the agreement… and the Egyptian security delegation is continuing its consultations with all parties.”
Agence France-Presse quoted a senior Hamas official on Saturday as saying that the movement “will not agree under any circumstances” to a truce agreement in Gaza that does not explicitly include a cessation of the war.
The official, who requested to remain anonymous, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “personally obstructing” efforts to reach a truce agreement “for personal reasons.”
Also on Saturday, Agence France-Presse quoted an Israeli official as saying that the Hamas movement is “obstructing” the possibility of reaching a truce agreement in Gaza, by “insisting on the demand for a complete cessation of the war in the Strip.”
The official, who requested to remain anonymous, considered that “the information that Israel agreed to put an end to the war, within the framework of an agreement on an exchange of prisoners, or that Israel will allow mediators to ensure that the war stops, is inaccurate.”
He continued: “Until now, Hamas has not abandoned its demand to end the war, and in doing so it is obstructing the possibility of reaching an agreement,” regarding a proposal for calm, about 7 months after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli army would launch a ground attack in Rafah, “with or without” a truce with Hamas in Gaza. He stated, “The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its goals is unthinkable.”
International pressure is increasing on Israel to reverse its decision to invade Rafah, the city located in the far south of the Gaza Strip and crowded with more than 1.5 million Palestinians.
On Saturday, talks were resumed in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, against the backdrop of mutual accusations of obstructing any agreement.
As the war approached its seventh month, Israel continued to launch air strikes on various parts of the besieged Strip, especially Rafah, near the border with Egypt.
Last updated: May 5, 2024 – 21:27
Suggest a correction
2024-05-06 05:51:40