Cairo, Feb 13: Israel and Hamas are making progress toward a deal that aims to bring about a cease-fire and free hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the talks, as key meetings continue Tuesday in the Egyptian capital.
Talks are moving forward even after Israel intensified its offensive in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have fled to seek shelter from fighting elsewhere. Israeli forces rescued two captives held in the town along the Egyptian border in a raid that killed at least 74 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and left a trail of destruction.
A deal would give people in Gaza a desperately needed respite from the war, now in its fifth month, and offer freedom for at least some of the 100 people still held captive in Gaza.
With the war grinding on, efforts mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt to bring about a deal have been hobbled by the starkly disparate positions of Hamas and Israel.
Outlines for a deal
While the officials did not disclose the precise details of the emerging deal, the sides have been discussing varying proposals for weeks.
Israel has proposed a two-month cease-fire in which hostages would be freed in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and top Hamas leaders in Gaza would be allowed to relocate to other countries.
Hamas rejected those terms. It laid out a three-phased plan of 45 days each in which the hostages would be released in stages, Israel would free hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians, including senior militants, and the war would be wound down with Israel withdrawing its troops. That was viewed as a nonstarter for Israel, which wants to topple Hamas before ending the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated last week on a visit to the region that there was hope the talks might lead to a deal, and on Monday, President Joe Biden also signalled they were heading closer to fruition.
“The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said alongside visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II, adding, “there are gaps that remain.” He said the US would do “everything possible” to make an agreement happen. (AP)
