Israel is said to have given the Islamists an ultimatum for an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of more hostages. Is there now a breakthrough in Cairo? The events at a glance.
A high-level delegation from the Islamist group Hamas has reportedly arrived in Cairo for indirect negotiations with Israel over a ceasefire and the release of hostages. As circles at the airport in the Egyptian capital confirmed, Hamas representatives traveled from the Gulf Emirate of Qatar on Saturday. The state-affiliated Egyptian television station Al-Kahira also reported on the arrival of a delegation.
The subject of the indirect negotiations, in which Egypt, Qatar and the USA are mediating, is a proposal that envisages the release of hostages held by Hamas and the cessation of hostages in the Gaza Strip by Israel in several phases. The focus of the talks had recently moved from Qatar to Egypt. According to the broadcaster Al-Kahira, progress has now been made in the talks.
In total, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist organizations kidnapped more than 250 people into the Gaza Strip on October 7th. During a week-long ceasefire in the Gaza war at the end of November last year, Hamas released 105 hostages. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons. It was recently feared that of the 133 hostages still believed to be in the Gaza Strip, many are no longer alive.
Hamas continued to demand a comprehensive ceasefire, including a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip. Israel, which has declared the complete destruction of Hamas as its goal, has so far rejected this. Foreign Minister Israel Katz recently said his country was ready to postpone the announced military operation in the city of Rafah if a deal to release hostages was reached.
Israel shells rocket launch pads in the Gaza Strip
While mediators between Israel and Hamas in Egypt are talking about a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says it has bombed rocket launch pads in the Gaza Strip. Among other things, such a device was hit in the area of the southern city of Khan Yunis, from which rockets were fired towards Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha on Friday evening, the army said on Saturday.
WHO warns of “bloodbath” in Rafah
The Israeli government had announced a rapid start to the military offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza if an agreement was not reached. Allies such as the United States have repeatedly warned Israel against a large-scale attack on Rafah because more than 1.2 million Palestinian civilians are seeking shelter there, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). After around seven months of war, the city, which borders Egypt, is the only one in Gaza that is still comparatively intact. The WHO warned of the consequences of an offensive. The organization is deeply concerned that a large-scale military operation “could lead to a bloodbath,” it said on Friday evening on X, formerly Twitter.
On Friday, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq, citing the UN Children’s Fund, drew particular attention to the fate of around 600,000 children in the city that borders Egypt. Almost all of them are “either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized or disabled.” An offensive would spell further disaster for them, Haq said. According to the WHO, only a third of the 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip are still partially functioning. Three of them are in Rafah.
The war was triggered by the massacre with more than 1,200 deaths that terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th last year. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian situation, Israel has come under international criticism. The Hamas-controlled health authority recently reported the number of people killed in Gaza since the start of the war at 34,596. The number does not distinguish between civilians and armed people and is difficult to verify independently.
UN accuses civilians of damaging aid delivery
The United Nations has meanwhile accused Israeli civilians of vandalizing aid supplies from Jordan destined for the Gaza Strip. The convoy was carrying food parcels including sugar, rice, supplementary food and milk powder, Haq said. A limited amount of it was unloaded and damaged by Israeli civilians while traveling through the West Bank on Thursday. This incident will initially have no impact on further aid deliveries from Jordan. The relief supplies have now arrived in Gaza and are being distributed as planned, it said.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
