Delegations of Hamas and Israel, mediators in Cairo… What do we know about the negotiations on a new truce in Gaza

After nearly seven months of destructive war, Hamas is discussing this Saturday in Cairo (Egypt) a proposal for a truce in the conflict between the Palestinian Islamist movement and Israel in the Gaza Strip, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to launch an attack on Rafah.

What is in Israel’s peace proposal?

Israel’s truce proposal includes a 40-day pause in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, accompanied by the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel that launched the war.

Since then, Israel and Hamas have negotiated only one truce, at the end of November. It lasted a week and allowed the release of 105 hostages, including 80 Israelis with dual citizenship, in exchange for 240 Palestinians held by Israel.

What does Hamas demand for its part?

Indicating that he was going to Cairo “in a positive spirit,” Hamas, which has been in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007, this Friday repeated its demands: “a complete cessation of Israeli aggression,” a “withdrawal” of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and a “complete an end to Israeli aggression.” a serious agreement on the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Why are these negotiations expected to be difficult?

Hamas’ demands will be countered by Israel’s firm refusal to accept a permanent ceasefire. Benjamin Netanyahu also said he was determined to lead a ground offensive on Rafah, which he said is the last major bastion of the Islamist movement, home to 1.2 million Palestinians, most of them displaced by the war.

“We will do whatever is necessary to defeat and defeat our enemy, including in Rafah,” Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated this week, reiterating his intention to launch the offensive “with or without a ceasefire agreement.” According to Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, Netanyahu’s threats against Rafah are “clearly aimed at undermining any possibility of concluding an agreement” on a truce.

Who is involved in the negotiations?

The talks will be attended by a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, Gaza’s number two political branch. Israel is also due to send its own delegation, and has said it only wants to do so if progress is made “within the framework” of a possible exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

The first round of talks was due to begin early in the day with “the presence of delegations from Qatar, Egypt and the United States,” a Hamas official said on condition of anonymity, stressing that several points remained unresolved. remains to be decided. According to the American website Axios, CIA chief William Burns is in the Egyptian capital.

Citing a “high-ranking source,” Egyptian media outlet Al-Qahera News, which is close to intelligence, reported that Egyptian mediators had “reached a consensus formula on most of the differences.”

What is the reaction internationally?

Some international organizations fear the start of a new attack in Rafah. “A large-scale military operation in Rafah could lead to bloodshed,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned on Friday.

The United States, Israel’s great ally, has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the project. According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israel has not presented any plan to protect civilians and therefore the United States cannot support such an operation “because the damage it could cause would be beyond what is tolerable.”

At the same time, the US Secretary of State also said that Hamas is “the only obstacle between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire.” “We’re waiting to see if they can actually agree to say yes to a ceasefire and the release of the hostages,” he said Friday.