So far, negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have come to nothing. Now, according to media reports, there will be a new attempt in Cairo. The foreign ministers of several countries are pushing for this.
For weeks, the USA, Egypt and Qatar have been mediating in vain between Israel and the Islamist Hamas for a ceasefire. These negotiations are apparently set to continue today in the Egyptian capital Cairo. At least that’s what the state-affiliated Egyptian television station Al-Kahira News reports, citing an Egyptian security representative.
This will also include the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as well as more humanitarian aid for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip. Israel and the terrorist organization do not negotiate directly.
Egypt, Jordan and France demand armistice
The new negotiations were preceded by talks in Cairo: the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France once again called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. “The Gaza Strip cannot endure any more humanitarian suffering,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri said at a joint press conference.
The need for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid for the people in the contested coastal area and the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons were discussed. The foreign ministers warned again about the planned Israeli ground offensive in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Jordan’s chief diplomat Aiman Safadi fears a worsening situation in the West Bank and criticized the “systematic Israeli policy that expands settlements and confiscates even more Palestinian land.” In this way, any prospect of a two-state solution will be destroyed. “What the region needs is an end to the killing and starvation.”
Demonstrations for the release of the hostages
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis took to the streets in the evening against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to media reports, the demonstrators demanded the release of the hostages from Hamas’ violence and an early election. There were also protests in other cities, such as Jerusalem and Haifa.
The terrorist organization Hamas is insisting on a comprehensive ceasefire – including that the Israeli army completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects this. Israel’s goal is to destroy Hamas.