Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Cairo End with No Breakthrough

The latest attempt to secure a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas concluded in Cairo without any progress.

This has allowed the devastating conflict in the Palestinian enclave to persist, and has also raised the potential for further regional tension. 

The two days of negotiations, mediated by representatives from the US, Egypt, and Qatar, came to an end on Sunday with Israel and Hamas still in disagreement over various issues. 

These include the return of displaced Palestinians to Gaza and the status of a strip on the Egypt-Gaza border that Israel seized in May and is refusing to withdraw from. There were also differences between Israel and Hamas regarding the release of Palestinian detainees that the militant group is requesting in exchange for the hostages it holds.

The talks involved the participation of CIA director William Burns, his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts, and the Israeli security agency Shin Bet director. 

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman was also involved in the Cairo negotiations. Shortly after the talks ended, Hamas claimed that Israel had reneged on a commitment to withdraw troops from the border strip, known as the Salah Al Din corridor or the Philadelphi corridor, and had presented new conditions, including the necessity to screen displaced Palestinians who seek to return to their homes in the more densely populated northern areas of Gaza once a ceasefire is established.