CAIRO: International mediators were with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas negotiators in Cairo Tuesday for crucial talks on a truce to pause nearly five months of fighting in the besieged Gaza Strip before the holy month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.
Envoys from Hamas engaged in discussions with representatives from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States for the third consecutive day, aiming to broker a six-week ceasefire. The proposed truce would also involve the exchange of remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
However, Israeli negotiators remained conspicuously absent from the negotiations, reportedly in response to the Palestinian group’s failure to provide a comprehensive list of living hostages, a condition set by Israel.
Bassem Naim, a senior leader of Hamas, directly placed blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for impeding progress in the talks. Naim emphasized the urgency for the United States to intervene and halt the conflict before Ramadan, underscoring that the “ball is in their court.”
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with the specter of famine looming large, Israel faces mounting criticism from its staunch ally, the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris expressed deep concern about the dire conditions in Gaza during discussions with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in Washington on Monday.
Children’s Death of Starvation in Gaza
The World Health Organization (WHO) added its voice to the chorus of alarm, revealing shocking findings from an aid mission to hospitals in northern Gaza. WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus disclosed that 10 children had succumbed to starvation due to acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicines.
Meanwhile, Israeli violence continued in Gaza, with reports of several Israeli airstrikes near the European Hospital. Since October 7, At least 30,631 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing relentless Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to the health ministry.
Tensions between Israel and the United Nations escalated further on Monday, with Israel recalling its ambassador over the handling of allegations of sexual assault by Hamas during the initial October attack. The UN published a report affirming the occurrence of sexual violence and rapes during the attack, prompting Israel to accuse the organization of attempting to suppress the findings.
The conflict has not been contained within Gaza’s borders, as evidenced by near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. US envoy Amos Hochstein emphasized the imperative of a diplomatic resolution to end hostilities, stressing that a temporary ceasefire alone would not suffice.
