Negotiations on a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas will resume on Sunday in Cairo with the participation of all parties, Egyptian state television Al-Qahera News reported this Saturday.
A security source close to Egyptian intelligence quoted by the broadcaster added that Egypt was making great efforts to reach an agreement to end the fighting before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin between 10 and 20 years. March 11 according to the lunar calendar.
“There has been significant progress in the truce talks and we will strive to reach a fair agreement,” the source told Al-Kahera News, without elaborating.
For their part, another Egyptian security source told Spanish news agency EFE on condition of anonymity that an Israeli delegation and another Hamas delegation would land in Cairo on Sunday to attend the meetings.
The resumption of talks comes after a tense week of contacts that saw mediators meeting in Paris and Doha to draft an agreement that would allow for a truce of about six weeks and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons for hostages held by Hamas.
On Friday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told a forum in Turkey that the start of Ramadan was the deadline for the fighting to end because if the war continued during the Muslim holy month of fasting, it would have “very dire consequences.”
Hamas insists that the temporary truce must be accompanied by an agreement on a second phase of cessation of hostilities, which is opposed by Israel, which has decided to continue its ground offensive in Rafah, a city on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt. where more than 1.4 million displaced people live.
Since the start of the war, Israel and Hamas have reached a one-week ceasefire at the end of November 2023, releasing 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
More than 30,200 people have died since the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched after Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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