Gaza ceasefire talks almost frozen – NBC

Negotiations on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants are practically frozen today, with the parties at a deadlock.

This was reported by NBC News.

According to NBC sources in the diplomatic missions of the region, there is no progress in the discussions, as tensions between Israel and Iran have "come to the fore" since early April and complicated the negotiation process. The source did not disclose any further plans to resume negotiations.

The day before, The Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official, reported that Hamas representatives had rejected every point of the agreement at the last negotiations. In particular, the militants declared their readiness to release only 20 hostages at the first stage instead of 40 under the condition of a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

Negotiations on an agreement between Hamas and Israel are being held under the mediation of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. Israel insists on the need to establish security control in Gaza after the end of hostilities. According to the Israeli side, 129 people remain hostages in the enclave, including 34 whom the IDF considers dead.

As a reminder, during the militants' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, many civilians and soldiers were taken prisoner. Since the first days of the conflict, negotiations have been underway to exchange prisoners and establish a ceasefire. It is believed that in the first days of the attack, terrorists killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers and kidnapped about 250 Israelis and foreigners.

At the same time, about half of the hostages were released during a week-long pause in hostilities that ended on December 1, 2023. It is not known how many of the remaining 130 hostages are alive.

In early April, the United States proposed a new plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 17/04/2024