Egypt: Antonio Guterres, the UN Chief, has stepped up his efforts for a truce in the Gaza Strip as a delegation from Hamas prepares to visit Cairo, the capital of Egypt, for further indirect negotiations.
The secretary-general wrote on X on Friday, “I strongly encourage the government of Israel & Hamas leadership to reach an agreement in their negotiations, for the sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages & their families, the region & the wider world.”
Egypt has been at the forefront of attempts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to broker an agreement for a truce and the release of prisoners in Gaza, along with Qatar and the US.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, stated the previous day that he spoke with Egyptian and Qatari mediators about the most recent Israeli proposal for a ceasefire.
On Thursday, Hamas reaffirmed that negotiations to put an end to the conflict in Gaza are planned for the upcoming days.
The Palestinian group stated this week that it had received Israel’s most recent stance and will review it before responding.
Declaring the agreement to be a “generous” offer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Hamas to accept it. There will be a 40-day ceasefire and many more Palestinian inmates will be traded for dozens of Israeli prisoners.
The White House restated its stance on Friday, stating that Hamas bears the responsibility of accepting the plan. That deal is on the table with Hamas. Reporters were informed by spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre that they must accept that offer.
Hamas, however, has made it clear that it will not accept a deal that does not result in an end to the fighting, the evacuation of Israeli soldiers from Gaza, and the unimpeded return of displaced Palestinians to their houses.
During a week-long ceasefire in November, Palestinian organizations in Gaza freed scores of inmates in return for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. But as the ceasefire ran out, Israeli forces resumed their offensive.
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