Ethan Bronner | Bloomberg News (TNS)
Negotiations to stop fighting between Israel and Hamas are stuck again, Israeli officials say, because there are big differences between the two sides about hostages, prisoners, and the future of Gaza.
A group of Israeli negotiators came back late Tuesday after two days of talks in Cairo and said that Hamas is demanding an immediate end to the war and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the officials said, speaking anonymously to talk about private talks.
The Iran-backed group also wants people in Gaza to be able to return to the north of the territory after the Israeli military told them to move south at the start of the conflict, the officials said. Another problem, they said, is Hamas’s request for all Palestinians in Israeli jails to be released.
According to Israeli officials, these show that Hamas’s position has become tougher compared to earlier talks, and they're demands that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government won’t agree to.
Israel has suggested a 42-day cease-fire in which several dozen hostages would be swapped for several hundred prisoners. Many north Gazans could also return home after being checked by Israeli forces for weapons and connections to Hamas.
The officials said Hamas believes its position is stronger because of growing international pressure on Israel during the war. This was shown when the U.S. chose not to say no to a United Nations Security Council decision last month asking for an immediate cease-fire. President Joe Biden, who’s planned to speak to Netanyahu on Thursday by phone, also said he was “outraged” by an Israeli attack on Monday that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, including a US citizen.
Hamas wants to stay in power in Gaza even after the fighting stops, the officials said, while Israel says the war will continue until the group is defeated. Hamas entered southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping around 250.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel started its air and ground attack. The U.S. and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
The talks between Israel and Hamas are helped by Qatar, the U.S., and Egypt.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Wednesday that the negotiations were stuck over the return of displaced people to their homes in Gaza.
Israel was cautious about Gazans going back to the north because of the chance of Hamas rocket fire from there back into Israel. However, the officials said Israel has changed its position and is offering to allow thousands, or even tens of thousands, of civilians to return.
The officials said Israel still wants to send troops into the southern Gaza city of Rafah to destroy the four remaining Hamas groups there. Israel thinks they have about 8,000 fighters together.
The U.S. and others are worried about the plan, saying there isn't a way for the over one million civilians in Rafah to leave quickly, and nowhere safe for them to go.
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