The Battle for Peace in Gaza: Why Israel and Hamas Failed to Reach a Truce
The recent meeting in Cairo aimed to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but it ended on Sunday without concrete progress. The reason for this was the inflexible positions of both sides, which have been at odds for seven months since the war broke out. A senior Hamas official stated that their delegation left for Qatar after disagreements intensified over the terms of an agreement, which included a truce and hostage releases. However, it was reported by Al Qahera News that a group will return to Egyptian capital on Tuesday to conclude indirect negotiations with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that accepting Hamas’ demands to end the war in Gaza would be a terrible defeat for Israel and equivalent to capitulation. In response, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the efforts of mediators to obtain a truce in the devastated Palestinian territory. The war broke out on October 7 after an Islamist raid on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of around 250 according to Israeli data.
Israeli authorities estimate that 128 people remain captive in Gaza, with 35 having died so far following an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November. The offensive launched by Israel in response to the attack resulted in 34,683 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians according to Ministry of Health data. The Israeli leader announced the closure of Qatari news network Al Jazeera due to its coverage of the war in Gaza as criminal and stated that it will resort to all available legal avenues to reverse its decision.
