Little hope as Israel and Hamas resume ceasefire negotiations

Conflicting reports emerged from the latest round of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo over the weekend, as the terror organisation has refused to compromise in the past couple of months. 

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz told Army Radio that the negotiations had reached a “critical point.”

“If it works out – a large number of abductees will return home,” he said. Egypt’s Al-Qahera News state-affiliated TV channel cited a senior Egyptian source saying that progress had been made in Cairo, but Al Jazeera quoted a Hamas expressing the exact opposite.

Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen also reported that no progress had been made, while Israeli media cited an Israeli official saying that no deal on the horizon.

“The distance (between the sides) is still great and there has been nothing dramatic so far,” Ynet and Channel 12 quoted the official saying.

The Israeli delegation has reportedly been given more room to manoeuvre in the talks in order to reach a compromise, but Hamas is insisting on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as well as a permanent ceasefire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected those demands again on Sunday during the cabinet meeting.

“It is not Israel that is preventing a deal. Hamas is preventing a deal. Its extreme demands are designed to bring about a ceasefire and leave it intact, to ensure its survival, existence and ability to endanger our citizens and soldiers. Capitulation to Hamas’s demands would allow it to try and repeat the crimes of October 7 again and again, as it has promised to do,” Netanyahu said.

“Hamas hopes that external and internal pressure will cause Israel to capitulate to these extreme demands. That will not happen. Israel is prepared for a deal; Israel is not prepared to surrender. Instead of the international pressure being directed at Israel, which is only causing Hamas to harden its positions, the pressure of the international community needs to be directed at Hamas. This will advance the release of the hostages,” he added.

Israel is under immense pressure to ease the blockade of Gaza following the killing of seven aid workers last week, with both the U.S. and UK calling the situation in the enclave unacceptable.