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Hamas and Israeli negotiators are engaged in “serious” talks in Cairo on the latest Gaza ceasefire proposals but an agreement may prove elusive once again, sources told The National on Thursday.
They said the proposals, presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, provided for a truce lasting five to seven years, the release of the remaining 59 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees in Israel, and an end to 18 months of conflict in the enclave.
The proposals also include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for Hamas agreeing to lay down its arms but not surrender them.
Hamas, said the sources, has agreed to lay down its arms during the truce years but it was unclear whether that specific proposal meets Israel's declared goal of disarming the group and fully ending its governance and military capabilities.
Hamas has already accepted its exclusion from Gaza's postwar administration and reconstruction.
Another point of contention is Hamas's demand that Israel hands back the body of the group's late leader Yahya Al Sinwar, who was killed in Gaza last year.
The two sides are also at odds over Israel's demand that senior Hamas officials leave Gaza and live in exile, said the sources, who quoted Algeria as the most likely destination for them to go but did not specify the points of contention.
“The negotiators from both Hamas and Israel are having serious and earnest discussions on the proposals, but that may not be enough to produce an agreement any time soon,” said one source.
“At the end, Israel will not agree to withdraw from Gaza and is likely to insist that it holds on to the buffer zones it has created in Gaza.”
The sources said Israel was also opposed to the release of several prominent Palestinians serving life sentences in its jails following their conviction in security-related cases.
The Hamas and Israeli negotiators are also at odds over the mechanisms for implementing an agreement, including the date on which it goes into effect, said the sources.
US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators brokered a ceasefire in January. It expired on March 1 but the enclave remained relatively quiet until March 18 when Israel resumed air strikes and ground operations.
Israel halted all aid deliveries to Gaza as of March 2, worsening a humanitarian crisis for Gaza's 2.3 million residents.
The Gaza war has to date left at least 51,355 Palestinians dead and more than twice that number wounded, according to the enclave's Health Ministry, and laid to waste most of the territory's built-up areas.
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Read more about the coronavirus
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Honeymoonish
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
