The latest round to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal in Cairo has failed. The Hamas delegation has departed the Egyptian capital, with no progress made, and it is accusing Israel of thwarting truce attempts while also blocking humanitarian aid operations to the Strip.
Israel for its part didn't even send a delegation to Cairo and has only been engaged through intermediaries, after Prime Minister Netanyahu called Hamas' conditions "delusional" - particularly the request for Israel's military to withdraw all forces from Gaza.
A Hamas official was cited in Al Jazeera as charging that Israel has "thwarted" all attempts by mediators to reach an agreement. The situation is growing more desperate by the hour, with local reporters saying that in some instances children are fainting on the streets due to hunger.
According to an Al Jazeera update of some of the latest key developments in the Israel-Hamas war:
Israel has “consistently and groundlessly” blocked aid operations for Gaza even as the enclave falls deeper into famine, according to a new report based on interviews with government officials, humanitarian workers, and NGO staff.
South Africa requests additional action, immediate ceasefire order from International Court of Justice to prevent “full-scale famine” in Gaza.
Houthi-claimed strike on cargo ship causes first deaths since group began attacks on Red Sea shipping in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.
At least 30,800 Palestinians have been killed and 72,198 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
Negotiators who have left Cairo say that talks have ended with 'no substantial answer or solution'.
The Times of Israel has reported, "An official Egyptian source told the country’s Al-Qahera News state-affiliated TV channel that negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached an impasse over Hamas’s demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war, but said talks will resume next week."
The Biden administration has meanwhile expressed that it hopes to see a legitimate deal reached by the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts March 10.
But each major battlefield incident or atrocity puts greater distance between the warring sides, and also increases pressure on each to gain the military upper hand, as mutual condemnations also abound.
