Israeli Air Strike Kills Azzam Al-Hayya as Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks Stall

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas stalled, and Gaza risks sliding back into war as an Israeli air strike killed Azzam al-Hayya, the son of Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, in Gaza City while Hamas leaders met in Cairo.

The BBC reported that Palestinian sources confirmed to it that the two sides had reached a deadlock in negotiations, and Israeli media reports suggested Israel is preparing to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade and Hamas's refusal to give up its weapons.

Al-Jazeera Net

Michael Eisenberg, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister, told the BBC that "Hamas would not disarm" and that "all options are on the table right now," while Israel insists Hamas's approach to disarmament is in breach of the ceasefire deal that came into effect on 10 October.

Hamas, for its part, said Israel is violating the agreement by failing to fulfill its humanitarian commitments and continuing deadly attacks, and on Wednesday a Hamas statement called on the “US administration and the guarantor states of the Sharm el-Sheikh [ceasefire] agreement” to “move immediately” to stop “Israeli aggression against the innocent people in Gaza.”

The BBC said the deadlock centers on Hamas disarmament and Israel’s military presence, with two Palestinian officials familiar with recent negotiations between Hamas leaders and the US-led Board of Peace in Cairo telling it that Israel was insisting on moving to the second phase of President Trump's 20-point plan before completing obligations of the first phase.

Those officials said Hamas demands an end to Israeli shelling, incursions and other military operations in Gaza, as well as an increase in the amount of aid, the entry of temporary housing units and heavy lifting equipment to clear rubble, and an increase in the number of Palestinian patients and travellers allowed to exit via Egypt's Rafah Crossing.

Algemeiner

The BBC also reported that Israel says it restricts which goods are allowed in and out of Gaza for security reasons, while Hamas continues to refer to the terms of the document it signed with Israel in Sharm el-Sheikh in October focusing on the first stage of the ceasefire.

In the same BBC report, Michael Eisenberg argued that "There is no phase one and phase two, that is an invention of Hamas," and said Hamas must disarm, demilitarise, and deradicalise as the future of Gaza according to the 20-point plan.

As fears of renewed war grew, the BBC reported that at least 846 people – including many women and children – have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while Israel says five of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.

“- Published Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled, and Gaza risks sliding back into war”

BBC

The BBC also said most of Gaza’s more than two million residents are displaced and that people are increasingly fearful that full-scale war could resume, quoting Samah, a displaced mother in Gaza City, saying, "Honestly, I say enough war. We hope that the war doesn't resume."

In the same BBC account, Abu Firas al-Jidi accused Israel of "intransigence" and suggested that while the world was focused on the wars in Iran and Lebanon, there was "a serious risk that Gaza may slide back into fighting."

The BBC further reported that this week Mladenov said there was "no daylight" between the Board of Peace and Israel regarding security concerns, and that he stressed donors would not fund Gaza's reconstruction if armed groups did not decommission their weapons.