Israel, Hamas remain divided on Gaza truce as Egypt mediates hostage talks

Israel announced on Sunday that its negotiating team is engaged in discussions with Egyptian mediators regarding the hostage issue, as disagreements between Israel and Hamas continue to hinder progress on extending a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

The initial phase of the ceasefire, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, took effect on January 19, bringing a temporary halt to over 15 months of conflict in Gaza that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Although the first phase ended in early March, both sides have avoided a full-scale resumption of hostilities. However, they have yet to reach an agreement on the next stage of the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that an Israeli negotiating team is “currently meeting in Egypt with senior Egyptian officials to discuss the issue of hostages.”

The announcement followed Netanyahu’s directive late on Saturday for Israeli negotiators to continue indirect talks aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire.

He directed them to base the negotiations on what his office said was a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that calls for the “immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages”.

However, Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a “bridge proposal” that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a “substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners” from Israel jails.

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“I thought the proposal was compelling,” Witkoff said.

Hamas on Friday had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others, who an official of the movement described as Israeli-Americans.

Witkoff said Hamas had provided “an unacceptable response” to the proposal and “the opportunity is closing fast.”

A Hamas official, however, said its delegation “held fruitful discussions with our Egyptian brothers, focusing on ways to advance the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in light of Hamas’s acceptance of the updated American proposal,” he said.

The official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the Gaza truce, that Hamas had asked mediators “to compel the occupation (Israel) to implement the humanitarian protocol, immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip, and begin the second phase of negotiations.”

Airstrikes kill nine

Two Israeli airstrikes in the northern town of Beit Lahiya near the border killed at least nine people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center, a local watchdog, said the dead included three Palestinian journalists who were documenting aid distribution. Local health official Fares Awad identified one as Mahmoud Islim, who was operating a drone.

The Israeli military said it struck two people operating a drone that it said posed a threat to soldiers in the area. It said it launched another strike at a group of people who came to collect the drone equipment, identifying all those targeted as militants.

The army later released the names of six people it said were militants killed in the strikes, including one accused of taking part in the Oct. 7 attack and another who it said had been released as part of the ceasefire. The military said two others, including Islim, were militants posing as journalists.

With inputs from agencies