After the suspension of talks held in Cairo to agree on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, U.S. President Joe Biden noted that a truce is possible. In detail, the White House Chief stated during a fundraising event outside Seattle, Washington, at the home of a former Microsoft executive, that a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip could be implemented, contingent upon Hamas returning Israeli prisoners. Biden added, despite having avoided discussing this topic on three similar occasions, that if Hamas were to release the prisoners, "there would be a ceasefire today."
These developments come at a time when Egypt has called on Hamas and Israel to show flexibility to reach an agreement regarding the truce and the exchange of Israeli prisoners for Palestinian detainees. The indirect talks session in Cairo ended on Thursday with representatives from both Israel and Hamas leaving. A senior Egyptian source conveyed that Egyptian efforts and the efforts of mediators continue to bring the two sides closer together.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced on Friday that Israel's rejection of the latest proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in Gaza has returned matters to square one, indicating that this has led them to reconsider their negotiation strategy. It is worth noting that Hamas had agreed on Monday to a ceasefire proposal put forth by intermediaries, while the U.S. State Department confirmed that the group did not approve the agreement but submitted proposals as part of the negotiations. Israel, on the other hand, reiterated that this proposal is far from its demands and maintained its opposition to a permanent ceasefire as long as Hamas is not defeated, according to its claims.
