Progress in Gaza truce talks: Hamas

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and two other Palestinian groups said Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided Israel does not impose new conditions.Last week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US were held in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement."The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a rare joint statement issued after talks in Cairo on Friday.A Hamas leader told AFP Saturday that talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days."Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue."Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalised before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's new conditions." He said that if an agreement is reached it will be implemented in phases, ending with "a serious prisoner exchange deal, a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from Gaza." On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "hopeful" for a deal, but avoided making any predictions as to when it would actually materialise."It should happen. It needs to happen. We need to get people home," he said, referring to the release of hostages under a ceasefire deal.Efforts to strike a truce and hostage release deal have repeatedly failed over key stumbling blocks.Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that he does not want to withdraw Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land cleared and controlled by Israel along Gaza's border with Egypt.Another unresolved issue is the governance of post-war Gaza.It remains a highly contentious issue, including within the Palestinian leadership.Israel has said repeatedly that it will not allow Hamas to run the territory ever again.Meanwhile, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 45,227 people have been killed during more than 14 months of war between Israel and Palestinian fighters. It said 107,573 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023.