American official: The framework of the truce agreement in Gaza is in place and now depends on Hamas
International pressure demanding a ceasefire is increasing in light of the killing of more than 30,000 Palestinians in the Israeli attack on Gaza.
A senior US administration official said on Saturday that the framework of the agreement, which stipulates a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, has become effective with Israel’s approval and depends on Hamas’ agreement to release the hostages.
“The hostages must be released,” the official told reporters in a conference call. He added, "The agreement is basically ready. But I do not want to make predictions one way or another."
Earlier, on Saturday, Reuters quoted two Egyptian security sources as saying that the ceasefire talks in Gaza are scheduled to resume in Cairo tomorrow, Sunday, but an Israeli newspaper reported that Israel will not send any delegation to the Egyptian capital until it obtains a complete list of the names of the Israeli hostages. Who are still alive.
The two security sources stated that the parties agreed on the duration of the truce in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees. They explained that completing the deal still requires agreeing on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Gaza and the return of its residents.
But the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an unnamed senior official as saying that Israel will not send any delegation to the Cairo talks unless it obtains a complete list of the names of hostages held in Gaza who are still alive.
The newspaper stated that the most important issue being worked on is the number of hostages that will be released from Gaza, and thus the number of Palestinians that Israel will release in return.
US President Joe Biden said this week that he hopes to reach a ceasefire agreement by the month of Ramadan, which begins this year on March 10.
There has been no comment yet from Israel or Hamas, which are engaged in negotiations through mediators including Egypt and Qatar.
International pressure demanding a ceasefire has increased in light of the killing of more than 30,000 Palestinians in the Israeli attack on Gaza, according to the Palestinian health authorities, and the United Nations warning that a quarter of the population is one step away from famine.
Israel vows to eliminate Hamas, which attacked Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 253 others, according to Israeli statistics.