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A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks aimed at achieving a cease-fire in the war in Gaza and an exchange of hostages held by militants there for Palestinian prisoners, according to an official in the group, Basem Naim. But a breakthrough in the negotiations did not appear to be imminent, as Israel decided not to attend.<\/p>\n
Israel made the decision after Qatar\u2019s prime minister informed David Barnea, the head of Mossad, Israel\u2019s foreign intelligence service, on Sunday that Hamas had refused an Israeli request to provide a list of the hostages who were still alive, according to an Israeli official.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Thursday that he had requested the names of hostages who would be freed in an agreement.<\/p>\n
Another factor that figured into Israel\u2019s decision was that Hamas declined to consent to the terms for swapping hostages for Palestinian prisoners that the United States presented in Paris about 10 days ago<\/a>, said two Israeli officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The U.S. outline entailed Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages, with different numbers of prisoners being traded for different categories of hostages, according to two officials with knowledge of the negotiations.<\/p>\n Mr. Naim declined to respond to the claims about the Hamas refusals.<\/p>\n The United States has been pushing for a cease-fire ahead of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that starts in about a week, but slow progress in the talks has made that challenging.<\/p>\n Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, was leading the delegation in Cairo, Mr. Naim said in a text message.<\/p>\n Sticking points in the negotiations have been the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, including the number of those serving life sentences, and whether a cease-fire will be permanent or temporary.<\/p>\n On Saturday, a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts, told reporters<\/a> that Israel had \u201cmore or less accepted\u201d a framework for the deal and that the ball was now in Hamas\u2019s court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, suggested on Saturday that the talks were not advancing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen any change in the Israeli position at all,\u201d Mr. Mardawi told Al Jazeera in a live interview. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t offered us anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has said progress in the talks would require Hamas to soften its \u201cludicrous demands.\u201d<\/p>\n President Biden said on Thursday that the bloodshed in northern Gaza earlier in the day, when scores of Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces opened fire around a convoy of aid trucks<\/a>, would complicate negotiations for a cease-fire.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it will,\u201d he told reporters in Washington, as he backed away from his earlier prediction that an agreement could be in place by Monday. \u201cProbably not by Monday, but I\u2019m hopeful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Israeli military has said most of those who died in the chaotic scene on Thursday were killed in a crush around the vehicles. Palestinian witnesses and doctors have said Israeli forces fired extensively, wounding and killing many.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n