Talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages ended without an agreement in Cairo on Sunday, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters. The sources also said that neither Hamas nor Israel had accepted the various compromises proposed by the mediators. A U.S. official, quoted by Axios, described the high-level talks in Cairo in recent days, with representatives from Hamas and Israel, as constructive, stressing that all sides attended with the intention of reaching a final and workable agreement. The official added that the process would continue in the coming days through working groups that would further examine the issues and details that remain unresolved.
Earlier on Sunday evening, Hamas had again rejected a proposal for a hostage release deal that was presented to it. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, told Al-Aqsa TV that “Israel has set new conditions for accepting the deal and has backtracked from what was previously agreed. Today, the delegation informed the mediators of our position. We will not accept any withdrawal from what was agreed on July 2 or any new demands.”
Hamdan also accused the US administration of “creating false hope” by talking about an imminent deal, saying it was only for electoral purposes. Hamas has repeatedly rejected the proposed hostage release deal, citing different reasons. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel last week and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a statement released to the media after the meeting, Blinken said that Netanyahu told him that he had accepted the ceasefire proposal put forward by the US last week, and that he was now waiting to hear whether Hamas would do the same. Blinken stressed that there was a real sense of urgency in the region to finalize the deal, and that the US was firmly committed to concluding it as soon as possible. Hamdan later criticized Blinken’s statement, saying that it “raises a lot of ambiguity because it is not what was presented to us nor what we agreed on.” He added that Hamas had already confirmed to mediators that “we do not need new ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism.”
Former US President Donald Trump posted a video on his X account on Sunday blaming the Biden administration for the deaths of 31 US citizens during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Trump said that during his presidency, his policy of unwavering force kept the United States out of war. In the video, Trump said: “History shows very clearly that evil respects only one thing: unwavering force. When I return to the White House, our enemies will know: if you shed one drop of American blood, we will shed a gallon of yours.” In an earlier social media post, Trump criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East conflict, accusing the president of being disconnected and incompetent. Trump reiterated that if he were president, Israel would not have been attacked on October 7, noting that his policy prevented Iran from funding attacks on Israel. Trump also expressed concern over Iran’s expanding nuclear arsenal, saying Biden would adopt a weak stance toward Tehran. Trump’s comments follow a preemptive strike by Israel in Lebanon, intended to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israeli strategic targets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the attack, stressing that Israel is dealing powerful blows to Hezbollah and that this action is just another step to ensure the country’s security.
