Hamas looks forward to resumption of talks for ceasefire next week

A delegation sent to Cairo by Hamas left the city on Thursday, as it was conveyed that talks for the release of hostages and a ceasefire will continue next week. Initially, an informal deadline before the beginning of Ramadan was set to find an amicable agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Considering the current scenario, it is being speculated that any agreement between both parties will be reached following the end of the holy month.

In the midst of all this, Gaza has been grappling with a humanitarian crisis, especially in the war-torn northern region, where food, medical supplies and basic amenities have become hard to come by.

President Biden reiterated his stance that Gaza must receive more aid, adding that failing to do so would be inexcusable.

Aid groups have highlighted the fact that’s sending aid into Gaza has become a mammoth task, considering the ongoing hostilities, the complete collapse of order and the difficulties of coordination with the Israel Defense Force.

The two sides have been conversing with each other for a few weeks now, while Egypt, Qatar and the United States acted as mediators. The idea was to get Hamas to agree to releasing roughly 40 hostages in exchange for a guaranteed 6-week ceasefire.

To sweeten the pot, Gaza would receive another aid package and some Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released.

Hamas has categorically refused to release all 100 Israeli hostages in one go and continue to hold the remains of another 30. The only situation in which Hamas would consider their release is if Israel brings a definitive end to hostilities and releases any prisoners they hold, including high ranking militants on life sentences.

It has also been speculated that Hamas is not genuinely interested in bringing an end to hostilities as its representatives have failed to furnish a list of prisoners they would like to see released, while also rubbishing some of the most basic demands being made by the other side.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, issued a statement regarding these developments on Tuesday, stating the following, “It is on Hamas to make decisions about whether it is prepared to engage. We have an opportunity for an immediate cease-fire that can bring hostages home, that can dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian aid getting in to Palestinians who so desperately need it, and can set the conditions for an enduring resolution.”

Sources have stated that the senior leadership with in Hamas is seeking a complete ceasefire, rather than a 6-week pause and the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Force from Gaza.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated the following, “The security and safety of our people will be achieved only by a permanent cease-fire, the end of the aggression and the withdrawal from every inch of the Gaza Strip.”

Israel has been very clear about where it stands in the current scheme of things. Israel refrained from sending a delegation to the last round of peace talks and has stated unequivocally that it will continue to push into Gaza till Hamas is completely expelled from the region and the remainder of Israeli hostages in Gaza are returned.

Israel has also been waiting for Hamas to provide it with a list of the hostages who remain alive in Gaza and the exact ratio of hostages to prisoners for a possible exchange.

Benny Gantz, a key political rival of Netanyahu and a member of his War Cabinet, met with senior US Officials in Washington recently, which drew the ire of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

This is being seen as yet another sign of indecision and differences within the Israeli political system.

The hope was that a ceasefire could be brokered prior to Ramadan, a time during which tensions between both sides are high anyway but that did not come to pass.

Sameh Shoukry, the Foreign Minister of Egypt, stated the following, “The negotiations are sensitive. I can’t say there is optimism or pessimism, but we haven’t yet reached a point at which we can achieve a cease-fire.”

Adele Khodr, who is the regional director of UNICEF for the Middle East and North Africa, highlighted the cost of the conflict on the people of Gaza, “There are likely more children fighting for their lives somewhere in one of Gaza’s few remaining hospitals, and likely even more children in the north unable to obtain care at all. These tragic and horrific deaths are man-made, predictable and entirely preventable.”

While the state of children in Gaza is quite poor, adults are not doing much better either. Aid is hard to come by, especially in Northern Gaza, which has been hit the hardest by the Israel Defense Force.

The Israeli Forces made an attempt to bring aid to the people of Gaza but that ended rather badly when a scuffle resulted in the shooting or trampling of 100 Palestinians.

The World Food Program has also ceased aid shipments to Northern Gaza, owing to what is being called a security breakdown which makes the task untenable.

Jordan and the United States stepped in on Tuesday when they airdropped 36,800 meals into Northern Gaza. While an admirable initiative, it is not enough to meet the needs of the roughly 300,000 people who remain in Gaza, despite Israel’s calls for the region to be evacuated completely.

Despite such conditions, bombs continue to rain upon Gaza, with the Health Ministry stating that 97 people have died in the last day, bringing the total number of Palestinian lives lost in the conflict to 30,631.