Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Egypt's latest proposals to reinstate the ceasefire in Gaza are making little progress, with Israel and Hamas continuing to hold talks with mediators but refusing to budge on their demands, sources told The National on Tuesday.
The proposals, first reported by The National on March 19, provide for the release of up to six living hostages held by Hamas, including an Israeli-US dual national, along with the remains of an unspecified number of hostages who died in captivity.
In return, according to the sources, Israel should allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinians incarcerated in its prisons and enter negotiations on ending the war and withdrawing from the war-battered enclave.
The sources said contacts between Egyptian and Qatari mediators and Israeli and Hamas negotiators were continuing but an agreement on Cairo's proposals remained elusive. These included two unpublicised visits to Cairo by senior Hamas officials over the weekend and last Wednesday for talks with Egyptian mediators.
Separate talks between the Egyptians and mid-level officials from Israel's Mossad intelligence agency also took place this week and last week, they said.
The US, Egypt and Qatar brokered a Gaza ceasefire that went into effect on January 19. The first phase expired on March 1 without any progress on negotiating the next phase, but Gaza remained relatively quiet until Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday and later launched ground operations.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that 730 people had been killed since Israel resumed bombardment on March 18, pushing the Palestinian death toll since the war began in October 2023 past the 50,000 threshold.
Both Israel and the US insist that hostilities have resumed because Hamas is refusing to free the hostages. However, the agreement reached in January provides for a second stage of negotiations on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, which would take place alongside the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinians detained by Israel.
The negotiations had been due to start in early February, but they never did, with Israel suggesting an extension of the first phase of the deal.
Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second stage of negotiations and rejected a proposal made by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and embraced by Israel that the militant group free 10 living hostages and hand over the remains of half the deceased in exchange for a 50-day truce and a resumption of relief aid as well freedom for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
“Israel is refusing to discuss the Egyptian proposals,” said one of the sources. “It is in a different place these days. Its representatives are conveying arrogant and unreasonable demands which are making everyone realise that only Washington can break the impasse. But that's not happening.”
The sources said that besides Hamas disarming, Israel wants the group's leaders to leave the territory and live in exile, made clear that it has no intention of fully withdrawing from Gaza or leaving the narrow strip that runs the length of the Palestinian side of the territory's border with Egypt. Cairo says the presence of the Israeli military inside the strip violates its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and subsequent accords.
Israel has blocked aid deliveries to Gaza since early this month and later cut off the supply of electricity, moves that have compounded the suffering of the territory's 2.3 million Palestinians.
The sources said Hamas had agreed to the Egyptian proposals, but only in principle. Its negotiators have demanded guarantees that negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal will take place. Hamas also wants Israel to halt attacks on its leaders, they added.
The sources spoke a day after Egypt's Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, and Mr Witkoff discussed the fate of the ceasefire and the release of hostages over the phone.
“The call dealt with joint efforts by Egypt, the United States and Qatar to secure the release of hostages, reduce tension and reinforce and implement the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” said a statement by Egypt's Foreign Ministry on Monday night. It gave no other details.
The impasse over the Egyptian proposals come as Cairo's relations with Israel continue to sour.
Egypt on Monday issued a strong condemnation of Israel's decision to set up an agency to enable the exit of Gazans from the strip, taking issue with Israel's use of the word “voluntary”.
Leaving “under the fire of bombardment, war, policies that deny humanitarian aid and use hunger as a weapon is forcible eviction”, a separate Foreign Ministry statement said on Monday night.
Egypt also rejects suggestions by US President Donald Trump and embraced by Israel that Gaza's residents be resettled in Egypt and Jordan as the US takes over the territory on the east Mediterranean and develops it into a beach resort.
Egypt, which borders both Israel and Gaza, has repeatedly said that forcing Gazans from their land will hollow out the Palestinian cause, sink any hope of creating an independent homeland for Palestinians and undermine its national security.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
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Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
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The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
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The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
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