Middle East War – Israel Resumes Ceasefire Talks

Representatives from the US and Egypt are also participating in the Cairo negotiations. The Israeli government and the radical Islamist Hamas are not negotiating directly with each other. The Israeli negotiating team had already traveled to Doha for the previous round of negotiations; Hamas refused to participate and apparently did not send anyone to Cairo.

The new talks follow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to the region and a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (see video above). Biden on Wednesday urged Netanyahu to quickly reach a deal. The planned agreement includes a ceasefire, the release of the remaining hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

The presence of the army is a point of contention
One point of contention is the duration of the Israeli army’s presence in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government claims permanent control over the southern border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. This is intended to prevent Hamas from rearming via tunnel routes. Hamas will “accept nothing less than the withdrawal of the occupation forces, including Philadelphia,” Hamas representative Osama Badran said. He also accused Netanyahu of not wanting to reach a “final agreement.”

Hostages found with gunshot wounds
The Israeli army recently recovered the bodies of six hostages in the Gaza Strip. They show traces of gunfire, as has become known. However, the bodies of four people who were supposedly guarding the hostages did not show traces of bullets, the army said.

According to Israeli counts, Hamas still holds 109 hostages, 36 of whom have been declared dead. 73 may still be alive. In total, more than 250 people were abducted from Israel by terrorists to the coastal area on October 7.