Gaza ceasefire talks continue in Cairo, Israel pounds the Palestinian enclave

5/5/2024 17:12

        Hamas leaders held a second day of truce talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Sunday, with no apparent progress reported as the Islamist group maintained its demand that any agreement must end the war in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
        
        One Palestinian official, close to the mediation effort, said the Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo with a determination to reach a deal "but not at any price".
        
        "A deal must end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza and Israel hasn't yet committed it was willing to do so," the official told Reuters.
        
        Israel wants a deal to free at least some of the around 130 hostages held by Hamas but an Israeli official signaled on Saturday that its core position was unchanged, saying Israel would "under no circumstances" agree a deal to end the war, which it has pursued with the aim of disarming and dismantling Hamas for good.
        
        Another Palestinian official told Reuters the negotiations are "facing challenges because the occupation (Israel) refuses to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire" but added that the Hamas delegation was still in Cairo in the hope mediators could press Israel to change its position.