CAIRO: The United States, joined by Arab mediators, sought on Wednesday to conclude an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip where medics said Israeli strikes killed 38 more Palestinians overnight, bringing the death toll to 45,097 in last 14 months.

A Palestinian official close to the negotiations said on Wednesday that mediators had narrowed gaps on most of the agreement’s clauses. He said Israel had introduced conditions which Hamas rejected but would not elaborate.

Sources close to the talks in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, said an agreement could be signed in coming days on a ceasefire and release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in return for those held in Gaza.

Medics said an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 people in a house in the northern town of Beit Lahiya while six were killed in separate strikes in Gaza City, Nuseirat camp in central areas, and Rafah near the border with Egypt.

Talks under way in Cairo; CIA director set to meet Qatari premier in Doha

In Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said four people were killed in an airstrike on a house. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military spokesman.

Israeli forces have operated in the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya as well as the nearby Jabalia camp since October.

Palestinians accuse Israel of carrying out acts of “ethnic cleansing” to depopulate the northern edge of the enclave to create a buffer zone. Israel denies it.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military claimed to have struck a number of Hamas members planning an imminent attack against Israeli forces operating in Jabalia.

The US administration, joined by mediators from Egypt and Qatar, has made intensive efforts in recent days to advance the talks before President Joe Biden leaves office next month.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Adam Boehler, US President-elect Donald Trump’s designated envoy. Trump had earlier threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release prisoners before he returns to the White House on Jan 20.

CIA Director William Burns was due in Doha on Wednesday for talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on bridging remaining gaps between Hamas and Israel, other knowledgeable sources said. The CIA declined to comment.

Israeli negotiators were in Doha on Monday looking to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas on a deal Biden outlined in May.

There have been repeated rounds of talks over the past year, all of which have failed, with Israel insisting on retaining a military presence in Gaza and Hamas demanding complete withdrawal of troops.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that at least 45,097 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in over 14 months. The toll includes 38 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 107,244 Palestinians have been wounded in the Gaza Strip.

The air and ground operations displaced most of the 2.3 million population and reduced much of the coastal enclave to ruins.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2024