A meeting in Cairo to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip concluded on Sunday without concrete progress, as disagreements over the terms of an agreement intensified. A senior Hamas official told AFP that the delegation of the Islamist group left for Qatar after the negotiations failed, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to accept Hamas’ demands to end the war in Gaza.
Israeli authorities estimate that, following an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November, 128 people remain captive in Gaza and that 35 have died so far. The offensive launched by Israel in response to the attack has already left 34,683 dead in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health. The Israeli leader also announced the closure of the Qatari news network Al Jazeera in the country for its coverage of the war in Gaza.
The latest truce proposal presented to Hamas at the end of April provides for a 40-day cessation of fighting and an exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza from October 7 to exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. However, Netanyahu declared that he would not accept any agreement that does not explicitly include an end to hostilities with Hamas. The Hostage Families Forum called on Netanyahu to ignore political pressure and accept an agreement that would allow their loved ones to be released from captivity.
