Gaza War: Accelerated Egyptian-Qatari Mediation Seeks Resolution

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip (AP)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip (AP)
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Gaza War: Accelerated Egyptian-Qatari Mediation Seeks Resolution

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip (AP)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip (AP)

Egypt has lately pressed ahead with its efforts to finalize positions regarding the framework proposed by Cairo to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

However, there has been no official response from any concerned party, according to official confirmations.

Simultaneously, several positions from the side of Hamas have surfaced, reaffirming the movement's previously declared stance.

This stance asserts that there will be “no negotiations on any deal with Israel without a complete and comprehensive ceasefire.”

Observers speculate that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, might lean towards accepting the Egyptian proposal.

Meanwhile, Israel has yet to declare a clear position on the same proposal or a separate Qatari initiative for a prisoner exchange.

Israeli media quoted an official indicating “slight progress” in the ongoing talks on a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing that “the road ahead is still long.”

Egypt had presented what was described as a “framework proposal,” consisting of three consecutive and interconnected stages that culminate in a ceasefire.

On Saturday, Egypt reiterated its rejection of any interference in Palestinian affairs and stated that it had presented a “framework proposal" regarding the cessation of hostilities in Gaza.

The aim is to bridge the perspectives between the involved parties, although a formal initiative has not yet been put forth.

Egypt’s Chairman of the State Information Service Diaa Rashwan emphasized to the Arab World Press that recent speculations are inaccurate.

He clarified that all matters related to the Palestinian issue are solely the concern of the Palestinian people, and no external parties can intervene.

Dismissing rumors about the formation of a Palestinian government through non-Palestinian external intervention, Rashwan stated that such claims are unfounded.

Rashwan outlined Egypt’s proposal, consisting of three stages that entail extendable ceasefires and the gradual release of dozens of prisoners held by Hamas.

This exchange is contingent on the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, ultimately leading to a cessation of hostilities.



UN Investigator Says Israel Still Conducting ‘Starvation Campaign’ in Gaza

Palestinian children queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinian children queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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UN Investigator Says Israel Still Conducting ‘Starvation Campaign’ in Gaza

Palestinian children queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinian children queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2024. (Reuters)

The UN independent investigator on the right to food insisted Israel is still conducting “a starvation campaign” in Gaza, despite its delivery of over 1 million tons of aid, including 700,000 tons of food to the territory since it launched its military operation a year ago.

Michael Fakhri told reporters Friday that food is not calories and Palestinians have not gotten adequate food or calories.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, recently warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within 30 days or it could risk losing access to US weapons funding.

Fakhri said: “Based on a year-long starvation campaign and a 24-year blockade and siege, allowing a few more trucks to enter in now does not actually address the humanitarian needs.”

“But most importantly, what Israel is saying contradicts everything every humanitarian organization is saying now, and has been saying,” he said.

Fakhri said humanitarian officials call Israel’s rules on what is allowed into Gaza “opaque and absurd.”

Convoys that make it through are often shot at and targeted by Israeli forces despite coordination with Israeli authorities, he said. “And then even if those convoys get past that, civilians seeking aid have been shot at and killed several times.”

Israel’s UN Mission did not respond to a request for comment on Fakhri’s press conference.