Cairo, 26 August 2024 (TDI): There was no agreement on Sunday in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations that took place in Cairo, with neither Israel nor Hamas agreeing to several compromises presented by mediators.
A senior US official, however, described the discussions as “constructive,” stating they were conducted in a spirit on all sides to reach a final and implementable deal, according to media reports.
The talks will continue over the coming days through working groups to further address remaining problems and details, said the official.
Months of on-off negotiations have failed to produce a deal to end Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza or free the remaining hostages seized by Hamas in October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
Speaking at a media conference in Halifax, Canada, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was still “feverishly” working in Egypt to get a ceasefire and a hostage agreement.
Key sticking points in ongoing discussions mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar include an Israeli presence in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5-km-long stretch of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
Mediators presented a number of alternatives to the presence of Israeli troops on the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor which cuts across the middle of the Gaza Strip, but none were accepted by both sides.
Israel also expressed concerns on several of the Palestinian detainees Hamas is demanding the release of, and Tel Aviv demanded their exit of Gaza if they are released.
There has been much back and forth between the negotiating teams from Israel, US and Egypt since Thursday to narrow the remaining gaps, the senior US official said, in preparation for Saturday, when Egypt and Qatar met with senior representatives of Hamas to walk through the proposal in detail.
Also Read More: White House Claims Progress on Gaza Ceasefire
On Sunday, senior officials from Israel joined the discussions to address outstanding matters with the support of mediators, the senior US official said but did not give a definitive assessment on whether there was a breakthrough or not.
