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Protest by hostage members in Tel Aviv: Israel and Hamas blame each other for the lack of an agreement so far
Photo: Abir Sultan / EPA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given the green light for further talks with Hamas about a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. After consultation with the heads of the Israeli secret services, Netanyahu agreed to a new round of negotiations "in the next few days in Doha and Cairo," his office said in Jerusalem on Friday. No further details were initially known.
On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages held there. However, Hamas was not mentioned in the resolution. The USA made the resolution possible by for the first time waiving its right to veto and abstaining from voting.
Since then, Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for the lack of an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip combined with the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
According to information from Qatar, negotiations between the two sides continued. However, no concrete information has been released since then. Together with the USA and Egypt, the Gulf state has been trying to reach a corresponding agreement for weeks - but so far without success.
The war, which has now lasted almost six months, was triggered by the major attack on Israel on October 7th by Hamas, which the EU and the USA classify as a terrorist organization. According to Israeli reports, at least 1,160 people were killed in the attack and 250 were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. 130 of them are still in the control of Hamas. 34 of them are said to be dead.
Israel then declared that it would destroy Hamas and has since taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 32,600 people were killed.
pbe/AFP