Gaza: Delegations Arrive in Cairo for Ceasefire Talks
Sudan Events – Agencies
Delegations from Hamas, Qatar and the United States, Sunday have arrived in Egypt for “a new round of negotiations” toward a truce in the Gaza war,.
Cairo, Doha and Washington have mediated in weeks of talks aiming to pause the fighting in the almost five-months-old war between Israel and Hamas sparked by the October 7 attack.
Their goal has been to secure a truce by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 10 or 11, but hopes have been dampened by a series of failed talks since a one-week pause in November.
The United States regards Hamas as a “terrorist” organization, and in previous talks Egyptian officials have functioned as the key conduit between US envoys and Hamas, as well as between Israel and Hamas.
The negotiations have centered on a proposal to pause the fighting for six weeks and for Hamas to free hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and greater aid deliveries.
A Palestinian official familiar with the truce talks told Reuters that they were not yet close to finalizing a deal, when asked if one was imminent.
The mediators are expected to search for a formula acceptable to Israel and Hamas for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza after foreign governments resorted to airdrops to aid desperate civilians in the Palestinian enclave.
An Israeli delegation is also expected to arrive in Cairo to take part in the talks, but a source briefed on the talks said Israel would not send a delegation until it got a full list of hostages who are still alive.
Hopes for the first pause in fighting since November rose last week after a previous round of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt in Doha and indications from US President Joe Biden that agreement was close.
