Gaza mediators intensify ceasefire efforts; Israeli strikes kill 16
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The 14-month-old war in Gaza has left at least 45,000 people dead and displaced millions.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CAIRO – The US, joined by Arab mediators, sought on Dec 18 to conclude an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the 14-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, where medics said fresh Israeli strikes killed at least 16 Palestinians overnight.
Sources close to the talks in Cairo said an agreement could be signed in the coming days on a ceasefire and release of hostages held in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Medics said an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 people inside a house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, where army forces have operated since October, while six were killed in separate air strikes in Gaza City, the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza and Rafah near the border with Egypt.
US officials, joined by mediators from Egypt and Qatar, have made intensive efforts in recent days to advance the talks before US President Joe Biden leaves office in January.
On Dec 18, a Palestinian official close to the negotiations said mediators had narrowed gaps on most of the agreement’s clauses, but Israel introduced conditions that Hamas rejected.
Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns was due in Doha on Dec 18 for talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on bridging remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas, other knowledgeable sources said. The CIA declined to comment.
Israeli negotiators were in Doha on Dec 16
There have been repeated rounds of talks over the past year, all of which have failed, with Israel insisting on retaining a military presence in Gaza and Hamas refusing to release hostages until the troops pull out.
The war in Gaza, triggered by a Hamas-led attack on communities in southern Israel, has sent shockwaves across the Middle East and left Israel isolated internationally.
Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,000 people, displaced millions, and reduced much of Gaza to ruins. REUTERS
