2 weeks ago
Hamas said Thursday that it was sending a delegation to Egypt for further cease-fire talks, successful a caller motion of advancement successful attempts by world mediators to hammer retired an statement betwixt Israel and nan militant group to extremity nan war successful Gaza.
After months of stop-and-start negotiations, nan cease-fire efforts look to person reached a captious stage, pinch Egyptian and American mediators reporting signs of discuss successful caller days. But chances for nan woody stay entangled pinch nan cardinal mobility of whether Israel will judge an extremity to nan warfare without reaching its stated extremity of destroying Hamas.
WORLD, UN SIGNAL NO EXIT FOR CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN GAZA WAR: 'POLITICALLY TOXIC'
The stakes successful nan cease-fire negotiations were made clear successful a caller U.N. study that said if nan Israel-Hamas warfare stops today, it will still return until 2040 to rebuild each nan homes that person been destroyed by astir 7 months of Israeli bombardment and crushed offensives successful Gaza. It warned that nan effect of nan harm to nan system will group backmost improvement for generations and will only get worse pinch each period fighting continues.
Palestinians respond adjacent to nan bodies of their relatives who were killed successful an Israeli airstrike successful Gaza Strip, astatine nan Al Aqsa infirmary successful Deir al Balah, Gaza, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The connection that U.S. and Egyptian mediators person put to Hamas -– apparently pinch Israel’s acceptance — sets retired a three-stage process that would bring an contiguous six-week cease-fire and partial merchandise of Israeli hostages, but besides negotiations complete a "permanent calm" that includes immoderate benignant of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, according to an Egyptian official. Hamas is seeking guarantees for a afloat Israeli withdrawal and complete extremity to nan war.
Hamas officials person sent mixed signals astir nan connection successful caller days. But connected Thursday, its ultimate leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said successful a connection that he had spoken to Egypt’s intelligence main and "stressed nan affirmative tone of nan activity successful studying nan cease-fire proposal."
The connection said that Hamas negotiators would recreation to Cairo "to complete nan ongoing discussions pinch nan purpose of moving guardant for an agreement." Haniyeh said he had besides spoken to nan premier curate of Qatar, different cardinal mediator successful nan process.
The brokers are hopeful that nan woody will bring an extremity to a conflict that has killed much than 34,000 Palestinians, according to section wellness officials, caused wide demolition and plunged nan territory into a humanitarian crisis. They besides dream a woody will avert an Israeli onslaught connected Rafah, wherever much than half of Gaza’s 2.3 cardinal group person sought shelter aft fleeing conflict zones elsewhere successful nan territory.
If Israel does work together to extremity nan warfare successful return for a afloat hostage release, it would beryllium a awesome turnaround. Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught stunned Israel, its leaders person vowed not to extremity their bombardment and crushed offensives until nan militant group is destroyed. They besides opportunity Israel must support a subject beingness successful Gaza and information power aft nan warfare to guarantee Hamas doesn’t rebuild.
Publicly astatine least, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that is nan only acceptable endgame.
He has vowed that moreover if a cease-fire is reached, Israel will yet onslaught Rafah, which he says is Hamas’ past stronghold successful Gaza. He repeated his determination to do truthful successful talks Wednesday pinch U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was successful Israel connected a location circuit to push nan woody through.
The agreement’s contiguous destiny hinges connected whether Hamas will judge uncertainty complete nan last phases to bring nan first six-week region successful fighting — and astatine slightest postpone what it is feared would beryllium a devastating battle connected Rafah.
Egypt has been privately assuring Hamas that nan woody will mean a full extremity to nan war. But nan Egyptian charismatic said Hamas says nan text’s connection is excessively vague and wants it to specify a complete Israeli pullout from each of Gaza. The charismatic said connected information of anonymity to talk astir nan soul deliberations.
On Wednesday evening, however, nan news looked little affirmative arsenic Osama Hamdan, a apical Hamas official, expressed skepticism, saying nan group’s first position was "negative." Speaking to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, he said that talks were still ongoing but would extremity if Israel invades Rafah.
Blinken hiked up unit connected Hamas to accept, saying Israel had made "very important" compromises.
"There’s nary clip for further haggling. The woody is there," Blinken said Wednesday earlier leaving for nan U.S.
An Israeli airstrike, meanwhile, killed astatine slightest 5 people, including a child, successful Deir al-Balah successful cardinal Gaza. The bodies were seen and counted by Associated Press journalists astatine a hospital.
The warfare collapsed retired connected Oct. 7. erstwhile Hamas militants collapsed into confederate Israel and killed complete 1, 200 people, mostly Israelis, taking astir 250 others hostage, immoderate released during a ceasefire connected November.
The Israel-Hamas warfare was sparked by nan Oct. 7 ambush into confederate Israel successful which militants killed astir 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted astir 250 hostages. Hamas is believed to still clasp astir 100 hostages and nan remains of much than 30 others.
Since then, Israel’s run successful Gaza has wreaked immense demolition and brought a humanitarian disaster, pinch respective 100 1000 Palestinians successful bluish Gaza facing imminent famine, according to nan U.N. More than 80% of nan organization has been driven from their homes.
The "productive ground of nan system has been destroyed" and poorness is rising sharply among Palestinians, according to nan study released Thursday by nan United Nations Development Program and nan Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
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It said that successful 2024, nan full Palestinian system -– including some Gaza and nan West Bank -– has truthful acold contracted 25.8%. If nan warfare continues, nan nonaccomplishment will scope a "staggering" 29% by July, it said. The West Bank system has been deed by Israel’s determination to cancel nan activity permits for tens of thousands of laborers who depended connected jobs wrong Israel.
"These caller figures pass that nan suffering successful Gaza will not extremity erstwhile nan warfare does," said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner. He warned of a "serious improvement situation that jeopardizes nan early of generations to come."
