Return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza remains obstacle in cease-fire talks: Report

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip remains a stumbling block in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, according to Israeli media on Thursday.

“The return of Palestinians to northern Gaza remains an obstacle in the negotiations,” the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

“Until now, there is no solution to this issue as Israel refuses to accept Hamas’ conditions,” it added.

KAN said the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza “is more complicated” than the issue of prisoners that Hamas demands their release as part of any deal with Israel.

An Israeli delegation is set to return to Israel from Qatar on Thursday after holding talks for a hostage-prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

KAN, citing an Israeli official, said the delegation is waiting for a response from Hamas before returning to Tel Aviv from Doha.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 30,000 and injured over 70,000 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

The Israeli war 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 International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.