The parties negotiating a possible ceasefire in Gaza gave mixed messages on Wednesday, with Hamas’ political leader saying the group was ready to continue fighting Israel, while Egypt’s president said a truce could be reached. “The next days”.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address that the group was open to mediated talks with Israel, but that “any flexibility we show in the negotiation process is a commitment to protect the blood of our people, combined with a readiness to defend them”.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is brokering the talks along with Qatar and the United States, offered a rosier view, saying that “God willing, in the next few days, we will reach a ceasefire agreement.” real relief’ to the people of Gaza. The prediction matched that of President Biden, who said a deal could come as soon as next week.
Publicly, however, Hamas and Israel are sticking to their long-standing positions and are not signaling any major breakthrough. The two sides have not met face-to-face, instead negotiating through mediators in Doha, Cairo and Paris. Hamas leaders continue to demand that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire and withdraw all its troops from Gaza, while Israel has insisted it will continue to fight until Hamas is eliminated, suggesting it is unwilling to agree in a long-term truce.
At a press briefing on Wednesday night, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, said he was reluctant to comment on Mr Biden’s claims that a deal was imminent. “I really hope he’s right,” Mr Gallant said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said this week that talks were continuing and that it was too early to speculate on a solution. Mr. Haniyeh did not comment on specific terms of a ceasefire deal that could be under discussion, and it was unclear whether his remarks reflected real reservations or were a negotiating tactic.
The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, around March 10, has emerged as a target for mediators to broker a truce in the war, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 and authorities there say that it killed at least 1,200 people.
Mr Haniyeh appeared to raise the stakes for a deal in the coming days, calling on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank to defy Israeli restrictions and march to the Aqsa Mosque to pray at the start of Ramadan. That raises the prospect of clashes if Palestinians attempt to approach the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites and a long-standing flashpoint in relations with Israel.
Israel has restricted access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for West Bank Palestinians and has severely restricted movement within the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli officials are debating whether to place further restrictions on mosque access for some members of the country’s Arab minority, a move that could spark further unrest.
With the death toll from the war in Gaza approaching 30,000, according to health officials in the territory, pressure is mounting on Israel and the Biden administration, its main ally, to secure a ceasefire. Israel has offered at least one major concession, telling Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators in Paris last week that it is ready to release 15 Palestinians jailed on serious terrorism charges in exchange for five female Israeli soldiers held in Gaza. according to officials.
However, a Hamas spokesman, Bassem Naim, told The New York Times on Tuesday that the group had not yet formally received “any new proposals” from the Paris meeting. Mr. Haniyeh met with Qatar’s emir on Monday and accused Israel of dragging its feet in the talks, according to a Hamas statement.
Israeli officials said the goal is to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. An Israeli delegation – including professionals from the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service and its military – traveled to Qatar this week for further discussions, including details such as the identity of hostages and prisoners to be exchanged, according to an Israeli official.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Nada Rashwan and Adam Sella contributed to the report.
