Egypt to host a new round of talks on Gaza ceasefire

CAIRO – 9 March 2024: Cairo, on Sunday, will host a new round of quartet negotiations to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the Israeli ongoing attacks on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The talks will be participated by Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators, with Hamas representatives and aim to tackle the outcomes of the Paris meeting on reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner swap between the Palestinians and the Israelis, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Monday.

The negotiations also aim at putting an end the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, ensuring return of the displaced Palestinians to their homes, and bringing humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.

With Ramadan just a few days away, mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been engaged in discussions to negotiate the terms of a potential ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to end nearly five months of Israeli aggression.

The mediators are urging for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate increased aid delivery to the war-torn Gaza Strip and enable a prisoner swap deal.

The Paris’ proposed deal is expected to halt the fighting for at least six weeks and facilitate the release of around 100 captives held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire talks have been ongoing in Cairo for several consecutive days, with the participation of senior negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US, as well as envoys from Hamas, aiming to reach a ceasefire agreement before the start of Ramadan.

Israel has boycotted the negotiations in the Egyptian capital due to Hamas's refusal to provide a list of captives who are still alive. On Saturday, Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that seven Israeli captives were killed by Israeli nonstop strikes on the strip.

A ceasefire is desperately needed as UN data reveals that one quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million population is "one step away from famine," with children suffering and dying from starvation.

Israel has killed 30,878 Palestinian people and injured 72,402 others since October 7, 2023, announced the Palestinian Ministry in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Egypt is increasingly concerned about Israeli threats to launch a ground invasion in Rafah city, which shares a border with Sinai and currently houses approximately 1.4 million Palestinians, a significant increase from the pre-war population of around 200,000.

Egypt has expressed its deep concerns regarding the catastrophic impact that such an operation would have on further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the strip.

The northern part of the besieged strip is being systematically starved by Israeli forces amid ongoing shelling and sniping of Palestinians. So far, 20 children and an elderly man have been starved to death due to the absence of baby formula and malnutrition.