Gaza truce talks resume in Egypt, without Israeli representation for now
Talks resumed in Egypt Saturday aimed at halting months of war in Gaza between Hamas militants and Israel that have triggered protests around the world.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States sat down with a Hamas delegation to hear the militant group's response to a proposal that would halt fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by Britain.
After the talks began, a top Israeli official accused Hamas of "thwarting the possibility of reaching an agreement" by refusing to give up its demand for an end to the war.
Shortly before 9 pm (1800 GMT), a senior Hamas source close to the negotiations told AFP the talks had ended for the day and would resume on Sunday.
Previous negotiations stalled in part on Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated vows to crush the group's remaining fighters in the southern city of Rafah, which is flooded with displaced civilians.
The prospect of an assault on Rafah has sparked deepening international concern.
Israel has yet to send a delegation to Cairo. The Israeli official told AFP that it would do so only if there was "positive movement" on the proposed framework.
"Tough and long negotiations are expected for an actual deal," the official added.
More deaths
The war broke out after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 34,654 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Gaza's civil defence agency and hospitals reported more deaths from Israeli strikes in Rafah as well as areas farther north.
The United Nations says more than 70 percent of Gaza's residential buildings have been completely or partly destroyed, and rebuilding will require an effort unseen since the aftermath of World War II.
Accepting a ceasefire deal with Israel should be a "no-brainer" for Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Friday.
"The reality in this moment is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas," Blinken said.
The World Health Organization says 1.2 million people, half of the Gaza Strip's population, are sheltering in the city.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned "a full-scale military operation in Rafah... could lead to a bloodbath."
UN humanitarian office spokesman Jens Laerke said an assault on Rafah could "strike a disastrous blow" to agencies struggling to provide aid.
The war in Gaza has also triggered a surge in violence in the already restive occupied West Bank, where Israel said on Saturday its troops killed five Palestinian "terrorists" during a 12-hour siege near Tulkarem.
At least 496 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers since October 7, according to an AFP tally.
