Pressure is growing on Israel and Hamas to agree on a ceasefire in Gaza / Article

Talks on a possible ceasefire will resume in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Monday, but so far there are no signs that they could conclude with an agreement. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has started another diplomatic visit to the Middle East.

The Israeli government is called upon to agree to a cease-fire

The war in Gaza has been going on for almost seven months, but so far only once – last November – was it possible to achieve a short ceasefire, during which “Hamas” released some of the hostages, but in exchange, Israel released Palestinian prisoners from prisons.

Since then, hostilities have only intensified and Israeli troops have advanced from northern Gaza to the south of the territory. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claims that more than 34,000 people have been killed in the war.

Negotiations for a new and longer ceasefire have been ongoing for months.

It has been reported that this time the truce could last for six weeks, during which time Hamas would release all or part of the hostages, but Israel would allow more humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing pressure not only from within the country, but also from international partners, who are urging him to agree to a ceasefire to ease the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.

Many unsolved questions

Over the weekend, reports emerged that Israel had offered to talk to Hamas about “restoring lasting peace” in Gaza after all the hostages are released. Israel estimates that 129 hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom have been killed.

Talks are set to resume in Cairo on Monday, but ahead of them, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said there are still many outstanding issues related to a possible ceasefire deal.

“These are questions related to the number of hostages to be released, the deployment of Israeli troops, the duration of the ceasefire and the return of civilians to their original residences. But I will not go into details,” Shukri told CNBC.

“We hope that both sides will show the political will to recognize the need for a ceasefire, to recognize the importance of the release of the hostages, and that we will move towards a political consensus on how we can address the issue of Palestinian and Israeli security and the issue of the creation of a Palestinian state.”

Hoping for six weeks of peace

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a telephone conversation on Sunday evening, during which a possible ceasefire was also discussed. Biden reiterated Netanyahu’s concerns about possible Israeli ground military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later announced that Israel had given the US a promise not to launch a ground invasion of Rafah until all of Washington’s objections had been heard.

“If we manage to reach an agreement on the hostages, and we are still working on it, because Hamas has not completely rejected it.

If we can reach an agreement, it will give us six weeks of peace. This will ensure that there will be no fighting for six weeks, and it will also mean no fighting in Rafah.

And we’re hoping that after a six-week temporary truce, we might be able to get something more permanent,” Kirby told ABC.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who has started his seventh visit to the Middle East since the start of the war in October, will definitely talk about the ceasefire in Gaza.

Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday to discuss the governance of Gaza after the end of the war with his counterparts from several Arab countries. Later, representatives of several European countries will also join the talks to discuss how Europe could be involved in the reconstruction of Gaza.

Blinken will visit Jordan on Tuesday and will arrive in Israel on Wednesday.

CONTEXT:

On October 7, 2023, “Hamas” carried out a massacre in Israel, murdering around 1,200 people, the absolute majority of whom were civilians. About 250 more people, including women, children and old people, were taken hostage by the terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.

Israel declared martial law in the country and launched extensive air and artillery strikes, as well as a ground operation against Hamas targets in the group’s controlled Gaza Strip, as well as stepped up military operations in the West Bank.

So far, more than 34,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in the Gaza Strip, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and the UN has warned of the growing threat of famine there.