Indirect talks between Hamas, Israel for Gaza cease-fire still ongoing: Israeli media

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas for a Gaza cease-fire are still ongoing amid differences over the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Wednesday.

Israeli Channel 12 reported Tuesday that Tel Aviv had pulled out its negotiating team to the talks from Qatar, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Hamas of being “not interested in talks.”

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN, however, said that the talks are still ongoing with the return of the displaced Palestinians to Gaza’s north remaining a sticking point in the negotiations.

“Despite Hamas’ negative response to the hostage-prisoner swap proposal, the negotiations with the group are still ongoing,” KAN said, citing Israeli sources.

An unnamed foreign source said the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip remains a main point of contention between the two sides.

“However, it’s still possible to reach a settlement,” the source said.

Hamas is estimated to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, while Tel Aviv is holding more than 9,100 Palestinians in its jails.

Hamas demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the territory for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed nearly 1,200 people.

Nearly 32,500 Palestinians have since been killed and 74,900 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. While Hamas welcomed the resolution, Israel rejected the cease-fire call and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli war, now in its 173rd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara