Ceasefire talks start in Egypt, Israel continues to attack Gaza

Israeli attacks are continuing to ravage Gaza, while intense talks between Israeli and Hamas officials took place on October 6th in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss the first part of the US peace plan, according to The Washington Post via AP.

After Hamas reportedly accepted the US peace plan for Gaza, many hoped that the Israeli bombs and offensive would be scaled back, however data published by the Gaza Health Ministry showed that Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes amounted to the same level as before Hamas reportedly agreed to the plan.

The indirect talks between both sides put an end to months of gridlock. Mediators will help convene the discussions which are set to determine the details of the first phase of the peace plan. This could lead to an immediate pause to the fighting, allowing a quick exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid for war-torn Gaza.

As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, the talks will at first focus on the logistics of the exchange before mentioning more contentious issues such as the political future of the Palestinian enclave and security.

While talks for a potential ceasefire deal have been underway, Israel targeted Hamas leaders on September 9th in Doha, Qatar. Senior Hamas officials survived the attack which ultimately revived talks between Israel and Hamas. Gulf countries leveraged the incident to get the US involved in ceasefire efforts that would satisfy their requests.

Hamas is requesting a guarantee from the US that Israel will not continue attacking the Palestinian territory. It is also requesting a precise timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces. It is pushing for these clarifications because it believe that once the hostages are freed, Israel will not follow its vague obligations of the peace plan.

These discussions might appear to be a step in the right direction however the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty admitted that “there are a lot of holes that need to be filled”. Adding that in-depth discussions on the implementation of the plan are crucial, particularly for “governance and security arrangements”. He then reaffirmed that Egypt is supportive of the peace plan penned by Trump and how the end of the conflict has been envisaged.

The Washington Post via AP, Maghrebi.org