CIA director Bill Burns, the Israeli and the Hamas delegations left Cairo on Thursday with no deal reached on a cease-fire or hostage release, hours after US President Joe Biden threatened to stop weapons shipments to Israel if it invades Rafah.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, confirmed in a post on Telegram that the delegation has left the Egyptian capital and is on its way to Qatar, where the group's political wing is based.
Separately, Burns, who has been in the region since Saturday, also left Cairo on Thursday morning and is on his way back to the United States. The Israeli delegation departed later on Thursday, with sources telling Kan news agency that "irreconcilable gaps" emerged in recent days between the parties during the talks. The Israeli cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday night.
The departures come as another indication that a deal is not close. On Monday, Hamas said it accepted a proposal for a six-week cease-fire, the release of 33 hostages both alive and dead and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel would free 30 Palestinian prisoners for each female civilian hostage released.
Israel rejected those terms, including Hamas' insistence that it choose which Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli jails without an Israeli veto. Israel had made it clear before the first deal was struck last November that all living hostages must be released before the return of bodies. Israeli authorities confirmed Tuesday that at least 38 of the 132 hostages still held in Gaza are no longer alive.
On Wednesday night, a source familiar with the Cairo talks told Al Qahera News TV, which is linked to Egyptian intelligence, that “Egypt continues its efforts to achieve a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and there are signs that the agreement is maturing.”
Egyptian news outlets also reported that the permanent cease-fire clause, rejected by Israel, would be amended to "return to sustainable calm until a permanent cease-fire is reached."
Burns had returned to Cairo late on Wednesday after meeting with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in Jerusalem.
According to Israeli reports, Burns told Netanyahu that he still sees an opportunity for a deal with Hamas.
In stark contrast, an unnamed Israeli official told Reuters on Wednesday that Israel does not see any sign of breakthrough in the Cairo talks.
The negotiations in Cairo came after the Israeli military intensified its strikes in Rafah amid mounting pressure on Israel to stop its campaign.
Citing data from the Health Ministry in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday that 109 Palestinians were killed and 296 injured in Rafah between Monday and Wednesday.
Israel has been waging a devastating air and ground campaign against the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 in the aftermath of Hamas’ surprise assault on southern Israel, during which militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took over 240 others hostage.
Hamas released a total of 110 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails were freed during a brief seven-day truce late last November.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7, the majority of them women and children, and over 78,000 others injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
CIA director, Hamas delegation leave Egypt talks with no deal reached
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09.05.2024
CIA director Bill Burns, the Israeli and the Hamas delegations left Cairo on Thursday with no deal reached on a cease-fire or hostage release, hours after US President Joe Biden threatened to stop weapons shipments to Israel if it invades Rafah.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, confirmed in a post on Telegram that the delegation has left the Egyptian capital and is on its way to Qatar, where the group's political wing is based.
Separately, Burns, who has been in the region since Saturday, also left Cairo on Thursday morning and is on his way back to the United States. The Israeli delegation departed later on Thursday, with sources telling Kan news agency that "irreconcilable gaps" emerged in recent days between the parties during the talks. The Israeli cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday night.
The........
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