Israel holds up ceasefire talks

INDIRECT talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza were being held up by Israel’s proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions said yesterday.

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Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached.

Israel has meanwhile kept up its strikes on Gaza and the territory’s civil defence agency said more than 20 people were killed yesterday, including in an air strike on an area sheltering the displaced.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped to clinch a deal “in a few days”, which could then lead to talks for a more permanent end to hostilities.

But one Palestinian source said Israel’s refusal to accept Hamas’s demand to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress. Another said mediators had asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha.