Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas deadlocked again

The latest round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas reached an impasse on Sunday as mediators struggled to bridge remaining differences and a Hamas delegation left the talks in Cairo, according to two senior Hamas officials and two other officials familiar with the talks. An Israeli official also confirmed that the negotiations had stalled and called them a "crisis."

For months, negotiations aimed at reaching a cease-fire The fire and the release of the hostages have made little progress, but signs that the two sides are moving closer to an agreement emerged last week. Israel has backed away from some of its long-standing demands and a senior Hamas official said the group was studying the latest Israeli offer with a “positive spirit.”

But The setback this weekend meant Palestinians living in miserable conditions in Gaza would not receive an imminent reprieve and families of hostages held by militants would have to wait longer for their loved ones' freedom.

The main obstacle to negotiations was the length of the ceasefire, with Hamas demanding it be permanent and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he was open to a temporary cessation of fighting .

Hamas has blamed the lack of progress on Mr. Netanyahu, who has again promised in recent days that the Israeli army would invade Rafah, the most in the south of the Gaza Strip, with or without an agreement.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“We were very close, but Netanyahu's narrow-mindedness prevented an agreement,” said Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, in a telephone interview.

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