US, Arab mediators make some progress in ‘Gaza peace talks,’ no deal yet
- 09 Jan 2025
US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said on Thursday.
As talks continued in Qatar, the Israeli military carried out strikes across the enclave, killing at least 17 people on Thursday, Palestinian medics said. The deaths brought to 70 the number of people killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.
Qatar, the US and Egypt are making a major push to reach a deal to halt fighting in the 15-month conflict and free remaining hostages held by Hamas before President Joe Biden leaves office.
On Thursday, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said the absence of a deal so far did not mean the talks were going nowhere and this was the most serious attempt so far.
“There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet,” he told Reuters, without giving further details.
On Tuesday, Israel said it was fully committed to reaching an accord to return hostages but faces obstruction from Hamas.
The two sides have been at an impasse for a year over two key issues. Hamas has said it will only free its remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.
SEVERE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
On Thursday, the death toll from Israel’s military strikes included eight Palestinians killed in a house in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps, where Israeli forces have operated for more than three months. Nine others, including a father and his three children, died in two airstrikes on two houses in central Gaza Strip, health officials said.
Later, dozens of people arrived at the hospital in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza Strip to mourn their dead relatives, and take their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds, to graves.
“There is no safety in the country, at all, not for a child, a woman, an old person, not for stones or trees, animals or birds or anything. Everyone is targeted, without prior warning,” said resident Adel Al Mansi. There was no Israeli military comment on the two incidents.
POPE CALLS SITUATION IN GAZA ‘SHAMEFUL’
In an address delivered by an aide, Pope Francis stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation “very serious and shameful.”
“We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country’s energy network has been hit.” The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys that is sometimes called the pope’s ‘state of the world’ speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was present. There was no comment from Israel on the pontiff’s comments.
EGYPT URGES PALESTINIAN UNITY
Egypt’s foreign minister met a Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) delegation on Thursday, calling for “unity” and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance towards the Palestinian Authority”, his office said in a statement.
The minister also reiterated “Egypt’s rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands,” it added.
Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing post-war Gaza under PA control. Fatah, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people.
On Thursday, Abdelatty also discussed with the PLO delegation Egypt’s efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Agencies