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FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Miriam Alster/Pool via REUTERS/File Phot
Talks on a truce in the Gaza conflict are making progress in Cairo and all parties have agreed on basic points, Egypt’s Al-Qahera News state-affiliated TV channel said early on Monday, citing a senior Egyptian source.
Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for fresh talks on a potential ceasefire in the six-month conflict, following the arrival on Saturday of US CIA Director William Burns.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas and none of the parties to the Cairo talks has confirmed the Al-Qahera news report.
According to Al-Qahera, the Hamas and Qatar delegations left Cairo and will return within two days to agree on the terms of a final agreement, while the Israel and US delegations will leave within a few hours. It added that consultations will continue in the next 48 hours.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire without the release of hostages, while Hamas reiterated its demands, which include a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a return of displaced people.
Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to “extreme” demands from Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas.
Thousands of Israeli protesters in Jerusalem rallied on Sunday demanding the release of around 130 hostages still held in Gaza.
Almost six months into the war, Israel has faced protests at home demanding a deal to free the dwindling number of hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack.
Western countries have voiced outrage over what they see as an unacceptably high Palestinian civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza that have resulted from Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas.
The war erupted after Hamas militants assaulted communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Apr 08 2024 | 8:14 AM IST
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