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A fresh round of ceasefire negotiations kicks off: Cairo is hosting a new round of Egyptian and Qatari-sponsored negotiations starting today. Egypt has reportedly urged for “flexibility” from all sides, an official source reportedly told Al Qahera News (watch, runtime: 00:39). A Hamas delegation will be landing in Egypt later today to attend the talks.
An agreement is looking less likely after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ conditions for a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, dismissing them as “delusional” in a press conference last night, the Financial Times reported. The PM insisted on continuing Israel’s war until “absolute victory” is achieved.
What does Hamas want? Hamas submitted its own proposal to end the Israeli aggression in Gaza in response to a ceasefire agreement prepared by Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Israel, last month. Under Hamas’ proposal all of the remaining Israeli hostages would be freed in exchange for a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and an agreement to end the war. The finer details of this proposal — unfolding in three 45-day stages — were documented by Reuters in full last night.
Blinken’s efforts to calm the storm went unheeded: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for Israel to accept a ceasefire agreement that would see the release of hostages, during talks with Netanyahu yesterday, Reuters wrote.
Remember: Blinken is on a four-day regional trip — his fifth since the war broke in Gaza in October — due to wrap up later today. He was in Cairo on Tuesday, where he met with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and discussed “developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.”
SPEAKING OF US-ISRAELI RELATIONS– The US’ blank cheque for Israel is wearing thin: A bill to extend more military aid to Israel was rejected by the US House this week, the Associated Press reported. The aid package was proposed back in November by Senator Mike Johnson but was rejected after it failed to receive the two-thirds majority vote to pass.
ALSO- Saudi Arabia has reiterated its stance, saying that it will not normalize ties with Israel without the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, a Foreign Ministry statement wrote yesterday.
