Israel and Hamas are expected to resume stalled cease-fire talks as soon as Sunday afternoon amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The talks would be the first indirect negotiations between Israeli officials and Hamas leaders since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on March 10. An earlier round of talks ended in failure after Israel rejected Hamas’ demand for a deal that would lead to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Hamas presented a new set of demands on Thursday ahead of planned talks in Doha, Qatar, including the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a possible agreement on a permanent truce. In return, Hamas would begin releasing Israeli hostages, including women, the sick and the elderly, as well as female Israeli soldiers. In a second phase, Hamas would release the remaining Israeli hostages and soldiers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the militant group’s latest demands “absurd,” but said he would send a negotiating team to Qatar to continue talks on a cease-fire and the release of hostages.
The talks could resume on Sunday afternoon or Monday, according to media reports.
Despite agreeing to resume the talks, Netanyahu has pressed on with a planned offensive on the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge from Israeli bombardments.
