The negotiations came in hopes of reaching a deal before Ramadan, which will begin on March 10 or 11.
The Gaza truce negotiations in Cairo between officials from Qatar, the United States, and Hamas have failed to achieve a breakthrough after Israel rejected the Palestinian group’s demand for a ceasefire, sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
“The mediators in Cairo tried to bridge the gap between Hamas and Israel, but their efforts did not succeed,” the sources told the Qatar-based broadcaster.
The talks failed after Israel rejected Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and unconditional return of displaced Palestinians to their homes.
Hamas confirmed its delegation left Cairo on Thursday “to consult with the leadership as negotiations and efforts to stop the aggression and the return of the displaced continue.”
An anonymous Hamas source also told Al Jazeera that the movement “is considering suspending its participation in the negotiations as one of the options to respond to the continued aggression and policy of starving citizens in the Gaza Strip.”
The talks in Egypt have been taking place since Sunday without the participation of officials from Israel.
The negotiations came in hopes of reaching a deal before Ramadan, which will begin on March 10 or 11.
The discussions in Cairo also came days after a meeting in Paris between officials from Qatar, Egypt, the U.S., and Israel.
The framework deal presented at the time entailed a six-week pause that would enable the release of the remaining 130 captives, including the bodies of those who died in Gaza, and the entry of aid into the besieged enclave.
The proposal came after a long stalemate since the previous pause, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, late last year. The truce lasted between November 24 and December 1, enabling the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza.
The captives’ release came in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
Hamas’s key demand since last year has been a comprehensive ceasefire, something that Israel and the U.S. have opposed.
Israel’s genocidal war has killed at least 30,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than 70% of whom are women and children, since October 7, 2023.
Gaza’s 2.2 million population are suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration due to the absence of basic resources and restrictions on the entry of aid. At least 18 people in Gaza died from malnutrition and dehydration, Gaza’s health ministry said on Wednesday.
Israel has also been carrying out deadly attacks on Palestinians collecting aid in Gaza. On February 29, Israel carried out the first such massacre against Palestinians collecting aid at the Nabulsi roundabout, killing more than 100 people.
On Sunday, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Al-Thani said that Israel’s war on Gaza “has gone unabated.”
His remarks came during the 159th regular session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh.
“The war on Gaza has gone unabated for the past five months, resulting in the death and injury of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The international community has been unable to stop Israel’s relentless crimes and daily violation of international law,” he said, as cited by Qatar’s foreign ministry.
