नवीनतम
Gaza ceasefire talks press on in Qatar
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a phased ceasfire agreement, officials said Monday.
But a deal hasn’t been reached yet, and there are a number of obstacles that could still scupper the talks in Qatar. The war in Gaza has ground on for more than 15 months, starting on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people, and abducted around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to Gaza health authorities, which don’t distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect talks for more than a year aimed at ending the war in Gaza and returning scores of militant-held hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
There has been intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. But the talks have repeatedly stalled over several key issues. They include details of the exchange, whether the ceasefire would be permanent and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The war has ground on as each side has accused the other of backtracking. US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a deal hasn’t been reached yet, officials said Monday.
Three officials acknowledged that progress has been made and said the coming days would be critical for ending more than 15 months of fighting that has destabilised the Middle East. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to discuss the talks. One of the three officials and a Hamas official said that there were still a number of hurdles to clear.
On several occasions over the past year, US officials have said that they were on the verge of reaching a deal, only to have the talks stall.
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