Egypt to Host Indirect Talks as Gaza Offensive Intensifies

Egypt is preparing to host a new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas early next week, aiming to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. The move, reported by Efe via an Egyptian security official, comes amid renewed pressure from the United States and Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, and as Israeli streets witness growing but still minority protests demanding an end to the fighting.

If confirmed, the talks would mark a return by Israel to the negotiating table after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided commenting on Hamas’s ceasefire proposal accepted about a week ago. The absence of a deal continues the blockade on Gaza and deepens a humanitarian crisis that the UN has described as famine in parts of the enclave—the first such declaration outside Africa.

Gaza’s health authorities reported eight additional starvation-related deaths on Sunday, raising the toll to 289 fatalities since the October 2023 start of the war, most of them in the past two months. The overall death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza exceeds 62,600, a figure the UN also records. The humanitarian situation has sparked concern over access to essentials like food and medical care for a population approaching 2 million.

In Israel, demonstrators gathered outside the homes of several ministers, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, who warned of potential action in Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. Humanitarian groups warn of catastrophe if troops move into the city, where nearly a million residents live. Families of around 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas fear for their loved ones and have supported new protest actions; the Forum of Families of Captives and Missing Persons has organized another general strike for Tuesday, following a September 17 event that drew thousands.

A Cairo source cited by Efe says the White House has helped enable Israel’s return to talks with the guarantee that any agreement must end the war, not merely deliver partial gains seen in earlier rounds. The objective, Cairo notes, goes beyond Hamas’s 60-day ceasefire offer, which remains unimplemented amid a lack of Israeli response.

Netanyahu’s government has stated that any truce would require Hamas’s disarmament and the creation of a civil authority independent of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Egyptian officials, for their part, indicate a plan for a gradual reintegration of the Palestinian Authority, while the United States, Saudi Arabia and Jordan reportedly favor a multinational force to maintain on-the-ground control and oversee humanitarian aid through international organizations.

Source: Full Article ElPais