Peace talks hosted in Cairo between Hamas and intermediaries, aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza before Ramadan, have collapsed. Hamas representative Basem Naim stated that the movement presented its ceasefire proposal to the mediators over two days of discussions and is now awaiting a response from the Israelis, who were absent from this round of talks. Naim mentioned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not interested in an agreement and suggested that the responsibility now lies with the Americans to pressure him towards reaching a deal.
Israel has remained publicly silent about the Cairo talks, with a previous source indicating Israel’s boycott of the discussions due to Hamas’s refusal to provide a list of all living hostages.
Naim highlighted the impossibility of providing such a list without a ceasefire first, given the hostages are spread across the war zone and held by various factions. The Cairo talks were hoped to be the final step towards the first long-term ceasefire in the conflict, proposing a 40-day truce involving the release of dozens of hostages and the influx of aid to Gaza to prevent famine before Ramadan.
Egyptian security sources mentioned ongoing communication with the Israelis, allowing negotiations to proceed without an Israeli delegation present. The United States, Israel’s closest ally and a sponsor of the ceasefire talks, has stated that an agreement accepted by Israel is already on the table, and it’s up to Hamas to accept it. Hamas rejects these statements, viewing them as an attempt to shift blame onto Israel if the talks fail. The US is also urging Israel to do more to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the Israeli assault, ignited by a Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, has killed over 30,000 people and left 1,200 Israelis dead.
