The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were kidnapped.
Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
Last November, Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of about 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, including 39 who are presumed dead.
In a recent joint statement, the United States, Qatar and Egypt announced that they had put forward a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release that would “narrow the gaps” between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has said any ceasefire agreement would require the release of the remaining hostages taken by militants in Gaza during the October 7 attack on Israel. Some of the 251 hostages have already been released, while others are believed to have died in Gaza.
Relatives of the hostages still in Gaza say the current negotiations are the “last chance” to get some of them out alive.
After ten months of war and thousands of casualties, there is enormous pressure to achieve a breakthrough.
The outbreak of a wider regional conflict, if the talks between Israel and Hamas collapse completely, is a real possibility, and is feared by all parties involved.
The mediators said that the last two days of the ceasefire The discussions were “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.”, external.
Technical teams are expected to continue working over the coming days on the details of how to implement the proposed terms before senior government officials meet again in Cairo, hoping to reach agreement on the terms set out in Doha.
Although the mediators’ statement is a clear positive development, we still have a long way to go before we agree on a ceasefire.
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