
Parties haggling over a possible ceasefire in Gaza offered mixed signals on Wednesday: Hamas’s political leader said the group was ready to continue fighting Israel, while Egypt’s president said a truce could be reached “in the following days”.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech that the group was open to mediated talks with Israel, but that “any flexibility we show in the negotiation process is a commitment to protect the blood of our people, accompanied by a willingness to defend them.”
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who is mediating the talks alongside Qatar and the United States, offered a more optimistic view, saying that “God willing, in the coming days we will reach a ceasefire agreement” to bring “real relief” to the people of Gaza. The prediction was in line with that of President Biden, who said a deal could be reached next week.
Publicly, however, Hamas and Israel maintain their long-standing positions and show no signs of any progress. The two sides have not met face to face, but have negotiated through mediators in Doha, Cairo and Paris. Hamas leaders continue to demand that Israel accept a permanent ceasefire and withdraw all its troops from Gaza, while Israel has insisted it will continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated, suggesting it is not prepared to accept a long-term truce.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said this week that talks were ongoing and it was too early to speculate on a resolution. Haniyeh did not comment on the specific terms of a ceasefire agreement that might be under discussion, and it was not clear whether his comments reflected real reservations or were a negotiating tactic.
The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, around March 10, has become a target for mediators to achieve a truce. Haniyeh appeared to raise the stakes for reaching a deal in the coming days, calling on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank to defy Israeli restrictions and march to the Aqsa Mosque to pray at the start of Ramadan. That creates the possibility of clashes if Palestinians try to approach the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites and a long-standing flashpoint in relations with Israel.
Israel has restricted access to the Aqsa Mosque for West Bank Palestinians and severely limited movement within the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. Israeli officials are debating whether to impose further restrictions on mosque access for some members of the country’s Arab minority, a move that could spark more unrest.
With the death toll from the war in Gaza approaching 30,000, according to the territory’s health officials, pressure is mounting on Israel and the Biden administration, its main ally, to ensure a ceasefire. Israel has offered at least one major concession, telling Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators in Paris last week that it was willing to release 15 Palestinians jailed on serious terrorism charges in exchange for five female Israeli soldiers being detained in Gaza, according to officials.
But a Hamas spokesman, Basem Naim, told the New York Times on Tuesday that the group had not yet formally received “any new proposals” since the Paris meeting. Haniyeh met with the emir of Qatar on Monday and accused Israel of dragging its feet in talks, according to a Hamas statement.
Israeli officials have said the goal is to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. An Israeli delegation, which included professionals from Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, and its military, traveled to Qatar this week for further talks, including on details such as the identities of hostages and prisoners to be exchanged, according to an Israeli official. .
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Nada Rashwan and Adam Sella contributed with reports.