Hamas sends delegation to Cairo as Israel seeks hostage clarity; US and Jordan airdrop meals along Gaza coast

3 Mar 2024

Israel had essentially agreed to a six-week ceasefire if Hamas agreed to release hostages categorised as vulnerable, US officials said.

The US and Jordan airdropped 38,000 meals along the coast of Gaza on Saturday afternoon. The 66 bundles of MREs, or military-style meal replacements, were dropped along the coast to maximise the ability of civilians to access the aid and minimise risks of the drop.

Hamas sends delegation to Cairo as Israel seeks hostages’ status

Hamas said a delegation was travelling to Cairo to outline the group’s position on talks that may lead to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza — even as reports surfaced that it had refused to give Israel the names of which hostages taken in October were still alive.

“We are keen to achieve a result that satisfies our people,” Osama Hamdan said in a statement issued by the media centre of Hamas, which rules Gaza and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union.

Talks would be held on Sunday and Monday, Hamdan added. AFP reported that a ceasefire may be secured “within 24 to 48 hours” if Israel accepted Hamas’ demands, citing a senior Hamas official it didn’t identify.

However, a senior Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said Israel wouldn’t send a high-level delegation to Cairo unless Hamas provided answers to Israeli questions. The official didn’t elaborate, but reports have said that among other matters, Israel seeks information on the well-being of its hostages.

Channel 12 reported that talks broke down before they even began as Hamas failed to provide Israel with the names of which hostages were still alive. The Israeli TV station said that Qatar told Israel that there was presently no way forward.

Progress toward a pause in fighting has been stalled for weeks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bristled at Hamas conditions he termed “delusional.”

More than 130 hostages are still believed to be held in Gaza, about 30 of whom are believed to be dead. The fighting began on 7 October when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people as well as capturing scores of Israelis and taking them to Gaza.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have since been killed under heavy Israeli air and ground bombardment, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.

Israel was seeking information on how many hostages were still alive, according to reports on Saturday. A Hamas leader who wasn’t identified told the UK-based Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Sunday that the details would be delivered only for “a big price”, according to The Times of Israel.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that a truce would be secured only if Israel accepted its demands, which include the return of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, and an increase in humanitarian aid.

US says ceasefire on table for Hamas as aid drops begin

Israel had essentially agreed to a six-week ceasefire if Hamas agreed to release hostages categorised as vulnerable, US officials said.

The path to a deal was straightforward and up to Hamas, said the officials, who briefed reporters on Saturday on condition of anonymity. An agreement could take effect immediately if Hamas agreed to the release of certain vulnerable categories of hostages, including women, those who are ill or injured, and the elderly, they said.

A Hamas official confirmed on Sunday that an invitation to continue talks on the terms of a possible ceasefire had been received.

Israel had essentially signed on to elements of the agreement and the framework was in place, the US officials said. A six-week pause would allow a rush of humanitarian aid and would also kick off a second phase of negotiations to extend the ceasefire, they said.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and Benny Gantz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, would meet at the White House on Monday to discuss the path ahead on Gaza, including the need for a hostage deal, according to a White House official. Gantz is also due to meet Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser.

The officials spoke as questions swirl about the Israel-Hamas conflict and its impact in Gaza, where food shortages are rampant.

Read more: Biden’s Israel embrace sows re-election risk as protests grow

The US and Jordan airdropped 38,000 meals along the coast of Gaza on Saturday afternoon. The 66 bundles of MREs, or military-style meal replacements, were dropped along the coast to maximise the ability of civilians to access the aid and minimise risks of the drop. The US has said it is planning further drops.

The combined operation included US Air Force and RJAF C-130 planes, as well as soldiers specialised in aerial delivery of supplies. Residents reported seeing the aircraft, with a total of 66 pallets descending on small parachutes.

The US was continuing to push for ways to get more aid in, partly to do away with any incentive for gangs and criminal groups to seize and auction off aid, officials said. The way to fight hoarding and a black market was to flood Gaza with aid, they said.

The need for food was rising throughout Gaza, and was particularly urgent in the north, the officials said. The US was also looking at delivering aid by sea, either with commercial ships or US government vessels, the officials said. The goal was to maximise aid delivery by land, sea and air, they said.

Aid delivery led to a tragedy last week in an incident that involved Israeli troops opening fire near a food convoy bringing in aid, and the subsequent deaths and injuries of scores of Palestinians.

Witnesses said that Israeli troops fired on Palestinians rushing to pull food off the convoy, which Israel has repeatedly denied.

An initial review found that the majority of those killed or injured were caught in a “stampede” after soldiers started to retreat, Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a broadcast video on Sunday.

Troops did open fire on looters who approached and posed an “immediate threat”, he said, adding that the inquiry would continue. DM

Read more in Daily Maverick: Israel-Palestine War

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Hamas sends delegation to Cairo as Israel seeks hostages’ status

US says ceasefire on table for Hamas as aid drops begin