In Cairo, the latest round of peace talks between Israel and Hamas in Gaza ended on Sunday without a concrete agreement. According to a senior Hamas official, the negotiations broke down after disagreements over the terms of a truce that would also include the release of hostages. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains firm in his position that accepting Hamas’ demands for an end to the conflict would be a defeat for Israel and tantamount to surrender.
Israeli authorities estimate that 128 people remain captive in Gaza and 35 have died since November when an exchange of hostages took place. The war broke out in October after an Islamist raid on southern Israel killed 1,170 people and kidnapped around 250. Netanyahu has announced the closure of Al Jazeera news network in Israel for its coverage of the war in Gaza. The channel called the decision criminal and said it will pursue legal action to reverse it.
The latest truce proposal presented to Hamas at the end of April calls for a 40-day cessation of fighting and an exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza from October 7 to exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. A Hamas leader insists that the Islamist movement will not accept any agreement that does not explicitly include an end to the war. Meanwhile, Netanyahu declared at a cabinet meeting that he will not give up on his position even under political pressure. The Hostage Families Forum called on Netanyahu to ignore political pressure and accept an agreement that would allow hostages to be released.
