Israeli army soldiers walking toward a tank at a position in the vicinity of the Jordanian Field Hospital in Gaza City. AFP
The official cited long-standing mistrust between the two sides, exacerbated by Israel’s far-right government, described as the most hardline in the country’s history.
Since launching its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly disrupted talks and violated previous ceasefires.
Talks began on Monday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, centred on a US-brokered plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza and securing a captive-prisoner exchange. The negotiations follow a 20-point framework put forward by US President Donald Trump.
Hamas has said its demands include a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the exchange of remaining captives, both living and dead, for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Despite signalling that it would not take part in governing post-war Gaza, Hamas has rejected Israel’s demand, endorsed by Trump’s plan, that it disarm. A Hamas source told Reuters the group would not agree to lay down its weapons unless Israel ended its occupation and a Palestinian state was established.
The talks opened on the eve of the second anniversary of Israel’s latest war on Gaza, which killed tens of thousands and left much of the territory in ruins.
Israeli bombardment has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and injured around 170,000, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The war has displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million population multiple times and triggered the first United Nations (UN) declared famine in the Middle East, fuelled by Israel’s eight-month blockade that has choked off vital humanitarian aid.
“If there is a deal, then we survive. If there isn’t, it is like we have been sentenced to death,” 20-year-old Gharam Mohammad, who was displaced with her family in central Gaza, told Reuters.
Israel’s delegation includes intelligence officials and advisers, while Chief Negotiator Ron Dermer is expected to join later in the week, depending on the progress of the talks.
The Hamas delegation is led by exiled Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, making his first visit to Egypt since an Israeli airstrike in Doha killed his son.
Short link: