Hope and impatience remain.
Discussions between the American and Israeli intelligence directors, the Qatari Prime Minister and Egyptian leaders on Tuesday in Cairo to “work towards a truce in the Gaza Strip” were “positive”, reported television close to Egyptian intelligence.
CIA boss William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari head of government Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani spoke with Egyptian leaders “in a positive atmosphere,” AlQahera reported News, citing "a senior Egyptian official."
“Negotiations will continue for the next three days,” the official said at the end of this meeting held as international pressure intensifies for a truce agreement between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, after the announcement by Israel of an upcoming offensive on the overpopulated Palestinian town of Rafah (south).
Hamas “open to the idea of discussing”
For its part, Hamas is “open to the idea of discussing any initiative to put an end to the aggression and the war,” one of its executives assured AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Hamas and other Palestinian movements are awaiting the results of the Cairo talks,” he added.
The war was sparked on October 7 by an unprecedented attack by Hamas commandos infiltrated from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians killed that day. there, according to an AFP count made from official Israeli data.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, which seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007. More than 28,400 people have been killed since the start of the war in the Palestinian territory, the vast majority civilians, according to the Hamas government's Ministry of Health.
According to Israel, 130 hostages are still in Gaza, 29 of whom are believed to have died, out of around 250 people kidnapped on October 7.
A week-long truce in November allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians detained by Israel.