Gaza ceasefire talks end without progress

Ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and mediators were interrupted this Tuesday (5) in Cairo, with no progress, with just a few days left for a possible suspension of fighting in time for the start of Ramadan.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told Reuters the militant group presented its proposed ceasefire agreement to mediators during two days of talks and was now awaiting a response from the Israelis, who were left out of that round.

“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu does not want to reach a deal and the ball is now in the Americans’ court” to pressure him for a deal, Naim said.

Israel has refused to comment publicly on the Cairo talks.

A source told Reuters earlier that Israel was walking away because Hamas had rejected its demand to provide a list of all hostages still alive. Naim said this was impossible without a ceasefire first, as the hostages were spread across the war zone and held by separate groups.

The Cairo talks were billed as a final hurdle to achieving the war's first extended ceasefire – a 40-day truce during which dozens of hostages would be freed and aid would be pumped into Gaza to avert a man-made famine, before of Ramadan, which should start at the beginning of next week.

Egyptian security sources said on Monday that they are still in contact with the Israelis to allow negotiations to continue without an Israeli delegation present.

Washington, which is Israel's closest ally and one of the sponsors of the ceasefire negotiations, said an agreement approved by Israel is already on the table and it is up to Hamas to accept it. Hamas disputes this account as an attempt to deflect blame from Israel if negotiations fail without a deal.

The United States also called on Israel to do more to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed by Israel's strike, launched after Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people in October.