A leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas warned Tuesday that talks planned in Egypt around a proposed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip represented “the last chance” to obtain the release of hostages held there.
The Hamas delegation “will leave Doha shortly for Cairo (…) to complete negotiations on a ceasefire,” this official, who requested anonymity, told AFP. “This could be the last chance (for Israel) to recover the captives (…) alive,” he added of those kidnapped in Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7 and held hostage since in the Gaza Strip.
According to him, the Hamas delegation, supposed to leave in the morning for Egypt, canceled its departure due to Israel’s takeover of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing point towards Egypt.
Read also | Gaza: Intense strikes on Rafah despite Hamas’ “yes”
“The decision to invade Rafah shows that (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu made the decision to let the hostages die,” he added.
Indirect talks on this truce project are due to begin Tuesday evening, Israeli officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Israel also announced that it would send a delegation to Egypt on Tuesday, the day after the announcement by the Palestinian Islamist movement that it had accepted a truce project intended in particular to allow a break in the fighting underway for seven months in the Gaza Strip and a exchange of Palestinian detainees for hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 during its bloody attack in southern Israel.
Read also | Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal, scenes of joy in Gaza [Vidéos]
That day, Hamas kidnapped more than 250 people and Israel estimates that 128 remain captive in Gaza, 35 of whom are considered dead.
The details of this draft agreement are not known, but Israel, which refuses any unlimited ceasefire demanded by Hamas, announced that this project was “far from Israeli demands” and that it remained determined to continue its operations in Rafah “to exert military pressure on Hamas”.
In November 2023, a one-week truce allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. Despite months of shuttle diplomacy since then, no further truce has been signed.
Challenge (with AFP)
