International mediators were set for a fourth day of talks with Hamas in Cairo on Wednesday after US President Joe Biden called on the militant group to agree to a truce deal with Israel by the start of Ramadan.
Envoys have discussed plans to halt the fighting that has raged since Hamas’ October 7 attack before the Muslim fasting month starts on Sunday or Monday, depending on the sighting of the full moon.
As famine threatens the besieged Gaza Strip, US and Jordanian planes again airdropped food aid into the territory of 2.4 million people in a joint operation with Egypt and France on Tuesday. The World Health Organization has reported children dying of starvation in two northern Gaza hospitals, and US Vice President Kamala Harris has expressed “deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.”
Envoys from Hamas and the United States have been meeting Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo to discuss a plan for a six-week truce, the exchange of dozens of remaining hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and a greater flow of aid to Gaza. Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, which is close to the country’s intelligence services, said the talks would continue Wednesday.
Biden warned Hamas to quickly agree to a truce and hostage release deal after his top diplomat Antony Blinken urged the group to accept an “immediate ceasefire.” “It’s in the hands of Hamas right now,” the US president told reporters from Maryland.
Israeli negotiators have so far stayed away from the Cairo talks, with Israeli media reporting that they boycotted them after Hamas failed to provide a list of living hostages. Senior Hamas leader Bassem Naim said details on the captives had not been “mentioned in any documents or proposals circulated during the negotiation process.” Hamas has shown flexibility in negotiations, aiming for an agreement to stop aggression against the people of Gaza.
Israel is facing increasing criticism from its top ally, the United States, as conditions in Gaza deteriorate. Harris met Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in Washington on Monday, the same day the WHO said 10 children had died of starvation in Gaza hospitals. In Khan Yunis, residents described finding decomposing bodies and destroyed buildings.
The war has sparked violence across the region, including near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. The US military shot down three drones and a missile fired toward one of its destroyers in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday. The Houthis have been attacking shipping, causing disruptions in the region. Anger over Israel’s Gaza campaign has grown across the Middle East.
