Hamas says delegation leaves Cairo, ceasefire talks ongoing

PHOTO CAPTION: Palestinian fighters from the armed wing of Hamas take part in a military parade in front of an Israeli military site to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo on Thursday amid ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire accord in Gaza that mediators hope to achieve before the start of Ramadan early next week.

After four days of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt to secure a 40-day ceasefire ahead of the Muslim fasting month there has been no sign of progress on key sticking points, with both sides blaming the other.

"Hamas's delegation left Cairo this morning for consultation with the leadership of the movement, with negotiations and efforts continuing to stop the aggression, return the displaced and bring in relief aid to our people," a Hamas statement said.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Israel had been "thwarting" efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal.

Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Israel was rejecting Hamas's demands to end its offensive in the enclave, withdraw its forces, and ensure freedom of entry for aid and the return of displaced people.

Israel has vowed to press on with its campaign, which it says is aimed at destroying Hamas and that any ceasefire would be temporary. It has also pressed for a list of hostages held by militants in Gaza who are still alive.

"Needless to say, Israel will do whatever it takes to release our hostages. We've made very, very clear and this has been reiterated by the U.S. that, unfortunately, it is Hamas who is the stumbling block right now by not telling us who is alive and who they have in their custody," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Thursday.

U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that a deal for a ceasefire was in the hands of Hamas.

The deal presented to Hamas for Gaza would free some of the hostages it still holds following the Oct. 7 attack, in which Israel said 1,200 people were killed and 253 abducted. Palestinian prisoners held in Israel would also be released.

HAMAS DEMANDS HALT TO FIGHTING

Hamas officials have said they want a ceasefire to be in place before the hostages are freed, Israeli forces must leave Gaza and all Gazans must be able to return to homes they have fled.

Hamas has said it can't provide a list of the hostages who are still alive without a ceasefire as the hostages are scattered across the war zone.

News that the Hamas delegation had left Cairo without an accord was met with despair in Gaza, which is in the grip of a deep humanitarian crisis after five months of war.

"I feel great disappointment and despair, fear too," said Abir, who along with her 12-member family has taken refuge in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than half of the enclave's 2.3 million people are now sheltering.

"America must apply pressure for an end to the war or a long-term truce and allow in lots of aid to all residents," Abir told Reuters via a chat app.

Despite earlier comments that negotiations were at an impasse, the U.S. said on Wednesday that a truce accord was still possible and it would continue to push for one.

Health officials in Gaza said the number of people confirmed killed in Israel's offensive had now passed 30,800. It reported 83 deaths in the past 24 hours and witnesses said the Israeli bombardments continued in Khan Younis, the southern city of Rafah, and areas in central Gaza.

They said Israel on Thursday had returned 47 bodies of Palestinians it had killed earlier during the military offensive, through its crossing with the enclave in the southern Gaza Strip, before they were buried.

In a later statement, Hamas reiterated a call for Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem and inside Israel to step up visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan to increase pressure on Israel to "agree to demands for a ceasefire".

Negotiators had been pushing for an accord ahead of Ramadan in part because of concern that the mosque complex in Jerusalem, the third holiest shrine in Islam, might become a flashpoint for violence during the fasting month.

Israel has said it will allow a similar level of access to the site as in previous years, without providing figures.

(Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi;additional reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones)