CAIRO: Hamas leaders held a second day of truce talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Sunday (May 5), with no apparent progress reported as the militant group maintained its demand that any agreement must end the war in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
One Palestinian official, close to the mediation effort, said the Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo with a determination to reach a deal “but not at any price”.
“A deal must end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza and Israel hasn’t yet committed it was willing to do so,” the official told Reuters, asking not to be named.
Israel wants a deal to free at least some of the around 130 hostages held by Hamas but an Israeli official signalled on Saturday that its core position was unchanged, saying Israel would “under no circumstances” agree a deal to end the war, which it has pursued with the aim of disarming and dismantling Hamas for good.
Another Palestinian official told Reuters the negotiations are “facing challenges because the occupation (Israel) refuses to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire” but added that the Hamas delegation was still in Cairo in the hope mediators could press Israel to change its position.
As the latest talks were underway, residents and health officials said Israeli planes and tanks continued to pound areas across the Palestinian enclave overnight, killing and wounding several people.
