A meeting of mediators for indirect peace talks between "Hamas" and Israel will be held in Egypt today. The dialogue became possible after the Palestinian armed group agreed to some points of US President Donald Trump's peace plan. The negotiations are among the central topics in the Western press, writes BTA.
The American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators will face numerous obstacles that could delay or undermine the chances of a quick ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, writes the "New York Times". The focus of today's talks is expected to be mainly on the exchange of hostages still in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners, and overcoming the remaining major obstacles will probably be left to later, the American publication predicts.
Trump hinted on Saturday in a post on social networks that the hostages could be released as soon as "Hamas" and Israel reach an agreement on how far Israeli troops will withdraw. But this is only one point in the large-scale plan, which envisages the creation of a Palestinian government under international supervision, the formation of foreign security forces and the disarmament of "Hamas", notes the "New York Times". Hamas representatives have expressed serious reservations about many of these points, especially regarding the disarmament of the group.
Israel believes that "Hamas" still holds about 20 live hostages and at least 25 bodies. However, the Palestinian group sees them as its most significant leverage over the Israeli authorities and is unlikely to release them before some other elements are agreed upon of the deal, commented "New York Times".
The latest peace plan of US President Donald Trump envisages that the hostages will be exchanged for 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, as well as for 1,700 Gazans detained by the Israeli army. Israel must also hand over the bodies of 15 people killed in Gaza for every body of an Israeli killed.
The Trump proposal requires "Hamas" to return all surviving prisoners and the bodies of the dead within 72 hours after Israel agrees to a ceasefire. Officials from both Israel and "Hamas" say that the release of the hostages will take longer. Some of the living prisoners are believed to be held in deep tunnels, while some of the bodies are buried and will have to be discovered and dug up, writes more "New York Times".
Another complex issue will be the withdrawal of Israeli forces from their current positions. In previous negotiations, "Hamas" agreed to withdraw Israeli troops to a buffer zone around the borders of Palestinian territory. But the current lines drawn by Trump envisage Israeli forces remaining much deeper into Gaza, the newspaper commented.
W. "Wall Street Journal" focuses on another point that is likely to create difficulties in today's negotiations. "The Hamas delegation in Egypt is headed by a man whom Israel tried to kill in a missile attack three weeks ago," the publication writes. Over the weekend, Khalil al-Haya appeared in public for the first time since he was wounded in an airstrike in the Qatari capital, Doha. Israel launched this attack at a time when representatives of "Hamas has gathered to discuss efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza," the Wall Street Journal also reported.
Al-Hayya made a televised address on Saturday, nearly a month after the Israeli strike that killed him but left his son dead. Al-Hayya said the death of his son and all Palestinians in Gaza was "at once a severe test but also a badge of honor." He added that the death would be "the fuel of victory, the path to Jerusalem and a stain that will forever haunt the occupation."
Arab mediators say al-Hayya and other senior Hamas political figures who are not in Gaza are receptive to Trump's proposals. But they have limited influence over the group's armed wing," the Wall Street Journal also reported. Journal".
The German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" focuses on today's talks in the context of the development of relations between the United States and Israel. Trump said that Netanyahu accepted his plan for Gaza after long and hard negotiations. Among observers, the hope prevails that this time the American president has exerted enough pressure to force the Israeli prime minister to agree to his terms, the German newspaper writes.
Netanyahu has already lost the trust of the White House, the publication continues. Diplomats from the Middle East have long been amazed at how well Netanyahu is able to anticipate Trump's actions and manipulate him. Arab government officials describe the Israeli leader as a "skillful puppeteer", but it seems that he will now have a harder time opposing Trump, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" commented.
According to the German publication, this is not least related to Netanyahu's failed attempt to decapitate "Hamas" with the airstrike in Doha. With this attack, the Israeli prime minister angered Trump. According to several media reports, Trump was informed of the attack too late to have the opportunity to warn Qatari leaders, who have been mediating as a close partner of Washington in the war in Gaza, the German newspaper said.
The attack has outraged the entire region, including Saudi Arabia, which is an important US ally. Trump's grand diplomatic project to normalize relations between Riyadh and Israel now seems unattainable, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" believes. Arab diplomats have given a clear signal that they will now view Israel as a source of risks to their security, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" also wrote. Businessman Trump found himself faced with an unpleasant choice between the Gulf monarchies with their deep pockets and the difficult-to-control and increasingly isolated Israel, the German newspaper concluded.
The possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza has sparked optimism across the world, with a number of Western and Arab leaders urging "Hamas" and Israel to strike a deal, writes the British newspaper "The Guardian". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported Trump's plan and described it as "the best chance for peace". Israeli officials have expressed hope of declaring an end to the war in the coming days. A senior Hamas official told Agence France-Presse that the group "is strongly committed to reaching an agreement to end the war and to immediately begin a process of prisoner exchanges in accordance with the conditions on the ground," the Guardian reported.
But despite Trump's demand that Israel halt its offensive in Gaza and despite orders to the military to conduct only "defensive operations," the Israeli army has continued to bomb the Palestinian territory, the British newspaper added. At least eight people were killed in Israeli strikes in various areas of Gaza City yesterday, and four people were shot while seeking help in the southern part of the strip.
"While some bombing in the Gaza Strip has indeed stopped, there is currently no ceasefire," Israeli government spokesman Shosh Bedrosian said, quoted by the Guardian.