New Gaza talks 'likely' to begin in coming week
A new round of negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal will "most likely" begin in the coming week, a source close to the Hamas delegation told AFP on Saturday.
"Based on contacts with the mediators, we expect a new round of negotiations to begin in Cairo, most likely this week, to discuss ideas and proposals regarding a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange," said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
"Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and other parties are making commendable efforts to stop the war and the Israeli massacres," the source added.
Qatar had been mediating ceasefire talks for months alongside the United States and Egypt, but last month it announced it was suspending its efforts, saying Israel and Hamas needed to "show their willingness and seriousness".
On Thursday, a source close to the talks said Qatar had resumed its mediation.
Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP on Saturday that the group had "informed the mediators this week that it is ready to show flexibility in reaching an agreement to end the war and implement it".
He added that such a deal would include a "specific and agreed-upon timeline" for Israel to withdraw from "key areas in the Gaza Strip", including the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt and the "Netzarim Axis", an Israeli-controlled corridor separating northern Gaza from the rest of the territory.
Hamas demands for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza have been a key sticking point in negotiations so far.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's surprise October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The Palestinian group also took 251 people hostage, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 44,612 people, a majority civilians, according to figures from the territory's Hamas-run health ministry which the UN considers reliable.
Source: AFP
