Gaza war enters 7th month as truce negotiators set to meet in Cairo

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories The war between Israel and Hamas entered its seventh month on April 7 as the US and other negotiators were expected to join the protagonists in Cairo in a renewed push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

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A deal, however, still seems out of reach, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 7 struck down a ceasefire until Hamas frees all hostages.

"There will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages. It just won't happen," he said at a Cabinet meeting.

Egypt's Al-Qahera News said US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim AI Thani will join Egyptian mediators for the indirect talks between the Israeli and Hamas delegations.

Hamas confirmed ahead of the talks that its core demands were a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But Mr Netanyahu insisted that Israel was "one step away from victory", even though "the price we paid is painful and heartbreaking".

He stressed that Israel "is ready for a deal", but it is "not ready to surrender".

The ceasefire attempt comes after Israel's military made a rare admission of wrongdoing and said it was firing two officers over the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, where humanitarians say famine is imminent.

The admission over the deaths of the workers from US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) on April 1 did not quell calls for an independent probe.

"It's been six months of targeting anything it seems moves," Spanish-American celebrity chef and WCK founder Jose Andres told ABC News.

"This really, at this point, seems it's a war against humanity itself." The deaths of the aid workers led to a tense call between US President Joe Biden and Mr Netanyahu.