Israeli Army Continues Military Operation In Gaza Amid The Ceasefire Negotiations In Cairo

In the Khan Younis axis in the south of the Gaza Strip, during the past 24 hours, the Israeli army again entered the center of Khan Younis by crossing the Bani Suheila square. Israeli forces are currently located in the Khan Yunis Center near Abu Hamid Square and around the Department of Education in the Mahtah area.

During the past months, the Israeli army had advanced to Khan Yunis center. But finally, the Israeli army withdrew from these areas. It is unclear whether the Israeli army will expand its advance to the west of the city or if this operation is only a short-term raid.

In the center of the Gaza Strip, following the military operation in the Wadi al-Salqa axis, Israeli army advanced along the Salah al-Din road to the south of Deir al-Balah and also to the south of Maghazi. Heavy clashes continue in the mentioned axes.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip continues as ceasefire negotiations between the Israeli regime and the Hamas movement in Cairo have hit an impasse.

The ceasefire talks were held on Thursday and Friday last week in Doha, Qatar, without any particular achievement. Another round of negotiations are underway in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, between mediators and Israeli military and intelligence officials.

Nevertheless, the delegations of the Hamas movement and Israel have each opposed the clauses of the agreement that were presented by the mediators.

Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, emphasized that the negotiating delegation of this movement left Cairo on Sunday evening after meeting with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and being informed of the new demands of the Israeli regime.

Izzat al-Risheq pointed out that the Hamas delegation wants to oblige the Israeli regime to adhere to the agreements made on July 2 based on the items mentioned in Biden’s speech and the UN Security Council resolution. But Israel has added new conditions to the agreement and violates the agreement.

Israelis introduced new conditions, making it harder to reach a lasting ceasefire. Under the new terms, Israel intends to maintain control over the Netzarim corridor and Philadelfia axis and Rafah border crossing as well as other areas in the Gaza Strip, showing no willingness to withdraw from Gaza and offering no significant concessions to the other party.

Although the Palestinians are strongly looking for a ceasefire agreement and the end of the war, on the other hand, they insist on their positions to realize the interests of the Palestinian nation. The Palestinians demand a comperhensive ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the free return of Palestinians to their homes in the northern part of the Strip, and the exchange of prisoners.

Due to Israel’s obstructions, it seems that the peace talks have reached a dead end. The Hamas movement has announced that it will no longer participate in the negotiations.

The dispute over the Philadelphia axis is one of the main obstacles on the way to the conclusion of negotiations and the signing of a ceasefire agreement and exchange of prisoners. While the Palestinians and Egypt insist that the Israeli forces withdraw from the axis of Philadelphia, Netzarim corridor and the Rafah crossing, Netanyahu still insists on occupying these axes and has so far failed the negotiations with his positions and is still prolonging the war.

Mediation efforts of the United States, Egypt and Qatar to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 110 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip began a few months ago. After several rounds of indirect negotiations in Egypt and Qatar, the parties to the conflict have not yet reached an agreement. These negotiations have not yielded results due to Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the war and genocide in Gaza.

The war in Gaza has left more than 40,500 martyrs and more than 93,500 wounded. The humanitarian situation is dire and is getting worse due to the restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime on the entry of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

Posted on SF