2024-04-26 20:24:01
According to information from Cairo, there might be some movement in the stalled negotiations on the Gaza war. According to the state-affiliated TV channel Al-Kahira News, there was significant progress in talks between Egyptian and Israeli representatives on Friday. There was no official confirmation. The broadcaster had previously reported that an Egyptian delegation was discussing a “comprehensive framework” for a ceasefire agreement in Tel Aviv. Details were not known for the time being.
The US government also sees new momentum in talks regarding releasing Israeli hostages and ending the war in the Gaza Strip. “I think there are new efforts involving Qatar and Egypt as well as Israel to find a way forward,” said Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, in an interview with MSNBC. “Do I think there is new momentum, new life in these hostage talks? I think there is.”
Israel and the Islamist Hamas have been negotiating indirectly for months over a ceasefire and the release of additional hostages that terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups kidnapped into Gaza on October 7 last year. Egypt, the USA and Qatar are acting as mediators.
According to Israeli media, the talks between Egyptian and Israeli representatives on Friday were initially regarding a limited agreement with Hamas, according to which only a few female, elderly and sick hostages would be released. According to various Israeli media reports, there are 20 or 33 people abducted from Israel. In return, Palestinian prisoners should be released from Israeli prisons.
In addition, displaced Palestinians should be able to return to the north of the Gaza Strip. Israel had resisted this for a long time. A ceasefire is also reportedly part of a possible deal. Israel rejects a permanent ceasefire. Hamas, in turn, insists on this. According to the media, Israel wants to circumvent this Hamas demand with the proposal for a limited agreement.
The terrorist organization had previously rejected a US proposal that would provide for the release of 40 kidnapped women, elderly and sick people. According to Hamas, there are no longer as many hostages who fall into this category alive.
According to Israeli media, Egypt wants to reach an agreement to avert the upcoming Israeli military operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The government in Cairo is concerned that Palestinians might cross the border in large numbers. Hundreds of thousands have sought refuge from the fighting in the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.
In view of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the EU is providing further financial assistance. To support the Palestinians affected by the ongoing war, an additional 68 million euros will be made available, as the EU Commission announced on Friday in Brussels. The money will be used to improve the delivery of food and water, but also medical care and accommodation options.
According to the information, the total amount of EU aid to needy Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the entire region will increase to 193 million euros in 2024.
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once once more resorted to harsh tirades once morest the West. “We have seen how those who have lectured us for years regarding democracy and freedom of expression and assembly suddenly become fascist when it comes to Israel and Israel’s interests,” Erdogan said on Friday. The West puts its values aside when it comes to Israel.
The Turkish head of state once once more accused the country of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip. However, he defended the Islamist Hamas: “Just because Israel and its Western supporters want that, we will not be among those who accuse Hamas of being a terrorist organization.” Turkey remains behind Hamas.
Erdogan once once more expressly did not condemn the massacres of October 7th: “You can approve of the events of October 7th or not. That is entirely a matter of opinion.”
Israel responded to the brutal attacks with around 1,200 deaths in the south of the country with massive military strikes. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority in the Gaza Strip, more than 34,000 people have been killed in the past six months.
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