Gaza truce and hostage-taking negotiators are trying to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas by discussing a new compromise proposal in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Aug. 24. But there was no sign of progress after hours of talks.
“The Cairo talks did not yield any progress. Israel insists on maintaining eight positions along the Philadelphia corridor,” a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts told Reuters. The official asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic.
The talks in Cairo come as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, with malnutrition and polio cases soaring in the Palestinian enclave.
Two Egyptian security sources said a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to review any proposals emerging from key talks between Israel and mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
A US official said US negotiators met with Egypt, then with Egyptian and Qatari representatives on Saturday. The US official believes that representatives from Egypt and Qatar are meeting with Hamas.
Palestinian officials say a Hamas delegation returned to Doha, Qatar, after briefings on the next round of talks ended.
Months of talks have failed to produce a breakthrough on ending Israel’s devastating military offensive in Gaza or freeing the remaining hostages still held by Hamas in the militant group’s Oct. 7 assault that sparked the war. The assault killed about 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people.
Egyptian sources said the new proposal includes compromises on key points such as how to secure vital areas and the return of people to northern Gaza.
However, there is no sign of a breakthrough on key sticking points, including Israel's insistence that it retain control of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Hamas has accused Israel of going back on previously agreed terms in talks, a charge Israel denies. The group says the United States is not mediating in good faith.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been at odds with Israeli truce negotiators over whether Israeli forces should remain along the border between Gaza and Egypt, a person familiar with the negotiations said.
More fighting also risks escalating further, as Iran continues to weigh retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil last month.
Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah since October 7 has escalated recently, including with Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and into the Bekaa, and with more Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel. (ft)
