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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Cairo talks participants discuss week-long Gaza ceasefire in exchange for hostage release

According to the Al Arabiya, the Palestinian Hamas movement is against the proposal to declare a short pause in hostilities and continues to insist that it last as long as possible

CAIRO, March 5. /TASS/. Participants in talks in Cairo representing Egypt, Qatar and the US have proposed a one-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of several elderly hostages held in the enclave, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported, citing a source.

According to the TV channel, the Palestinian Hamas movement is against the proposal to declare a short pause in hostilities and continues to insist that it last as long as possible. The second day of talks ended with these positions, and the sides are expected to continue consultations on Tuesday.

The Cairo ceasefire talks in the Palestinian enclave, which include Egypt, Qatar, the US and Hamas, have been underway since March 3. The Israeli delegation is not participating in the current round. On March 4, the Al-Ghad TV channel quoted a source as saying that the sides had made "significant progress" on the first day of talks and were aiming to reach some kind of agreement by March 11.

On March 2, the Al Hadath TV channel reported that Hamas and Israel had reached an agreement on the length of the Gaza ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. According to the source, an agreement has yet to be reached on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the northern parts of the enclave and the return of its residents.

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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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