“We are closer than ever” to reaching an agreement, US President Joe Biden said earlier this week.
But the previous optimism expressed during months of on-again, off-again talks has proven unfounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that complex negotiations were underway to secure the return of the hostages, but there were certain principles that must be adhered to for the sake of Israel’s security.
“There are things we can be flexible about, and there are things we cannot be flexible about, and we insist on them. We know very well how to differentiate between the two,” he said.
He also accused Hamas of “stubbornness” in negotiations and called for more pressure to be put on the militant group.
“What we received from the mediators is very disappointing. There has been no progress,” a senior Hamas official told the BBC on Saturday.
The original agreement outlined by President Biden, based on the Israeli proposal on May 27, was to be implemented in three phases:
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The first includes a “full and comprehensive ceasefire” for six weeks, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in Gaza, and the exchange of some hostages – including women, the elderly, the sick and the wounded – for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
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The second phase includes the release of all other living hostages and a “permanent end to hostilities.”
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The third plan includes starting a major plan to rebuild Gaza and return the remains of the dead hostages.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said Israeli air strikes killed at least 21 people, including six children, on Sunday.
The Israeli military said on Sunday it had destroyed rocket launchers used to strike Israel from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the scene of heavy fighting in recent weeks that has killed 20 Palestinians.
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