Gaza ceasefire talks deadlocked, Houthis kill two in ship off Yemen
CAIRO/RAFAH, Gaza Strip, March 6 – As mounting Western concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Hamas-run Gaza and a Houthi attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden that claimed at least two lives sparked talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage exchange, broke down on Wednesday.
A 40-day truce is being negotiated by Palestinian militant negotiators, Qatar and Egypt, but not Israel, in order to coincide with the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan early next week.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that ally Israel was cooperating and that “a rational offer” for a truce in exchange for the release of Israeli prisoners had been made, urging Hamas to accept the parameters on the table.
He informed reporters, “Right now, it’s in the hands of Hamas.”
The United States is concerned that the Gaza conflict may extend throughout the Middle East, particularly in light of recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Houthi forces supporting the Palestinians and connected with Iran.
According to American and British sources, the Houthis murdered at least two sailors in their most recent attack on a freighter. These are the first casualties since the Yemeni organization started attacking ships in one of the busiest water lanes in the world.
‘WE ARE SHOWING FLEXIBILITY’
Hamas leaders stated that a truce must be in place before hostages are released, Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza, and all Gazans must be allowed to return to their homes that they have fled. Despite this, Hamas committed to continue participating in the Cairo talks.
“We are showing the required flexibility in order to reach a comprehensive cessation of aggression against our people, but the occupation is still evading the entitlements of this agreement,” Hamas stated in a statement.
Israel is not attending the Cairo discussions, according to a source that had earlier said that Hamas was refusing to release a list of the hostages who are still alive. Since hostages are dispersed around the combat zone, Hamas claims that this is not feasible without a ceasefire.
After the deadly Hamas raid on Israel on October 7, Israeli forces launched an offensive in Gaza. Since the discussions started in Cairo on Sunday, they have not stopped pounding the Palestinian enclave, and the already grave humanitarian situation in the heavily populated coastal strip has gotten worse.
“We lose dozens of martyrs every day. Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a Palestinian electrician and father of five from Gaza City who is currently in southern Khan Younis, told Reuters via a chat app, “We want a ceasefire now.”
According to Gaza’s health officials, the official death toll from Israel’s offensive has surpassed 30,700. It stated that 86 people had died in the previous 24 hours, and witnesses claimed that Israeli shelling was still ongoing in Khan Younis, Rafah, in the south, and other areas of central Gaza.
Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron held a conversation on Wednesday over Israel’s need to aid Gaza and Britain’s apprehension over the possibility of a military assault in Rafah.
DEHYDRATION AND MALNUTRITION
Democrats have been pressuring the Biden administration to press Israel to resolve the humanitarian issue; some have even threatened to withhold military support if conditions for civilians do not improve.
The Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings allowed about 250 assistance trucks to enter Gaza on Tuesday, according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who briefed media.
Miller stated, “We need to see significantly more go in.”
The number of Palestinian deaths in less than a week has risen to 20, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, after two patients, ages 15 and 72, passed away on Wednesday from malnourishment and dehydration in Al Shifa and Kamal Adwan hospitals. The deaths were not corroborated by Reuters.
Prior to Ramadan, a truce is being sought since animosity toward Israel throughout the Arab and Muslim world, as well as violence between Palestinians and Israelis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, frequently increases during the month of fasting.
The agreement that Hamas was given for Gaza would release a portion of the captives that it still has after the attack on October 7, which Israel claims claimed 1,200 lives and kidnapped 253.
Hospitals would treat severely malnourished children while aid to Gaza would be increased in an attempt to prevent starvation, and Hamas would release a list of all the hostages.
Senior Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim stated that “the ball now is in the Americans’ court” and that the Islamist organization had sent its own draft agreement, expecting an Israeli reaction.