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Hamas Official Slams Israeli 'Refusal' of Gaza Deal Over Border Troops

The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
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Hamas Official Slams Israeli 'Refusal' of Gaza Deal Over Border Troops

The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP
The Philadelphi Corridor, pictured here in 2005, has become a sticking point in Gaza truce talks - AFP

A Hamas official on Friday accused Israel's prime minister of refusing to agree to a final truce accord for Gaza, where the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border remained a major sticking point.

An Israeli team was in Cairo "negotiating to advance a hostage (release) agreement", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Omer Dostri told AFP late on Thursday.

But Hamas representatives were not taking part and an official from the Islamist movement, Hossam Badran, told AFP on Friday that Netanyahu's insistence that troops remain on the Philadelphi border strip reflects "his refusal to reach a final agreement".

Egypt with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas in Gaza.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited the region this week to emphasise the urgency of an agreement.

Witnesses on Friday reported combat in the territory's north, heavy shelling in the centre, and tank fire in the far south near Rafah city.

The United Nations said tens of thousands of civilians have been on the move again this week from Deir el-Balah and the southern city of Khan Yunis after Israeli military evacuation orders, which precede military operations.

The war has displaced about 90 percent of Gaza's population, often multiple times, leaving them deprived of shelter, clean water and other essentials as disease spreads, the UN says.

"Civilians are exhausted and terrified, running from one destroyed place to another, with no end in sight," Muhannad Hadi, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said late Thursday.

"This cannot continue," he said.

Israel's military on Friday said that over the past day troops had "eliminated dozens" of militants around Khan Yunis and Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.

In April the military had pulled troops out of Khan Yunis after months of devastating fighting, yet has found itself having to resume operations there, leaving civilians feeling they have nowhere to turn.

"This is no way to live," said Haitham Abdelaal.

ommand said on Thursday.

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Arab World

Progress at Talks on Sudan’s War Limited by Army’s No-Show, Mediators Say

UN Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello attends a press briefing on sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
UN Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello attends a press briefing on sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Progress at Talks on Sudan’s War Limited by Army’s No-Show, Mediators Say

UN Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello attends a press briefing on sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
UN Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello attends a press briefing on sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)

US-led mediators said on Friday they had secured guarantees from Sudan's warring parties at talks in Geneva to improve access for humanitarian aid, but that the Sudanese army's absence from the parley had hindered progress.

Over 10 days of talks a new group of mediators including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates tried to negotiate more aid and protection for civilians facing famine, mass displacement and spreading disease after 16 months of war between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries.

The mediators, calling themselves the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, said they had secured promises to let aid flow through the Adre border crossing from Chad into the Darfur region and along the Dabbah Road from Port Sudan on the Red Sea. They also reported progress towards opening another route through the Sennar Junction.

However, they acknowledged that any progress fell far short of the response needed for one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

"We hope that this will be a source of momentum for much bigger steps and progress down the road," US Sudan Envoy Tom Perriello told a press conference in Geneva.

"The sad thing is, the crisis in Sudan is so severe that we could do four of these (rounds of negotiations) and still be barely scratching the surface of what Sudanese people deserve."

In an illustration of the challenges, only a fraction of the aid available at Adre has been dispatched this week, as the army-aligned government imposed a halt to movements after the crossing opened for the first time in months.

Intense diplomatic lobbying failed to persuade the army to send a formal delegation to Switzerland, although mediators said they were in contact with the army virtually.

"Though we were in consistent communication with SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) virtually, we regret their decision not to be present, and we believe that limited our ability to make more substantial progress towards key issues, particularly a national cessation of hostilities," ALPS said in a statement.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 when competition between the army and the RSF, who had previously shared power after staging a coup, flared into open warfare.

The two sides had been seeking to protect their power and extensive economic interests as the international community promoted a plan for a transition towards civilian rule.

Overlapping efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire, including Saudi- and US-led talks in Jeddah, have not eased the fighting.

"We do believe that the national cessation of hostilities is possible. We know that that is going to take a great deal of work," said Perriello.