Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Will Continue in Cairo, Officials Say

[Pelican Press 0]

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Gaza Cease-***** Talks Will Continue in Cairo, Officials Say

A day after ******* and Hezbollah traded major cross-border attacks but swiftly moved to contain a ******* war, the focus in the Middle East returned on Monday to the effort to achieve a cease-***** in Gaza, where *******’s 10-month-long war with ****** is at the heart of rising regional tensions.

Four days of talks concluded on Sunday with no breakthrough, after senior ******** and ****** officials arrived in Cairo to meet with mediators. Despite a full-bore diplomatic push from the Biden administration, the two sides remain far apart on several critical issues, including ******** demands to retain a military presence along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Both ****** and Egypt, which is mediating the talks along with Qatar and the ******* States, oppose those demands.

One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said the senior-level talks in Cairo were constructive, and would continue with working-group discussions in the coming days. ****** officials, as usual, did not participate in the meetings with ******** and U.S. officials.

Negotiators in Cairo were working to refine an ********* proposal presented last week in Doha, Qatar, aimed at bridging key gaps between the two sides. The so-called bridging proposal builds on an earlier framework outlined by President Biden in May, and includes various amendments aimed at resolving the differences between ****** and *******, people briefed on the talks have said.

Under the proposal, the first phase would see a six-week cease-***** and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained by *******. People displaced from northern Gaza would be able to return to their homes, many of which lie in ruins. During that time, ******** forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza.

The second phase envisions a permanent cease-*****, while the third consists of a multiyear reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the ******** of deceased hostages.

On Thursday, ******** officials met with those from the ******* States and Egypt. On Friday, the U.S. and Egyptian teams held a bilateral consultation to strategize ahead of the talks.

Egyptian and Qatari negotiators then met with ****** to walk through the bridging proposal paragraph by paragraph. The ****** negotiators highlighted points of disagreement, which were brought to Egyptian, Qatari, ********* and ******** negotiators on Sunday.

The technical level discussions are meant to continue this week in Cairo, with the aim of getting to an agreement that can be implemented.

********* officials declined to outline the points of disagreement in detail, arguing that negotiating in public could only complicate matters.

But among the most difficult issues remaining, another ********* official said, is whether ******** forces will remain on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, and if so, how many. ******** officials have reduced their demands in recent days, agreeing to accept a fewer number of checkpoints. But both Egypt and ****** — which wants a complete ******** withdrawal from Gaza — have been skeptical of any ******** military presence on Gaza’s southern border.

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