DOHA – Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have broken down again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing the Islamist group of making “extreme demands”.

“Hamas once again rejected any American compromise proposal,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said on March 26.

He cited the organisation’s insistence on an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, and “remaining in power so that it could repeat the massacre of Oct 7”.

Israel’s Army Radio said the government has told its negotiators in Qatar – which is acting as a mediator between the two sides – to return home. Mr Netanyahu’s statement did not mention that or say the talks had been halted.

But a source briefed on the talks told Reuters both sides were moving ahead, and that officials from Israel’s Mossad spy agency remained in Doha, Qatar.

The move came after weeks of talks, in which Israel and Hamas appeared to make little headway.

Israel says a ceasefire can only be temporary – in the region of six weeks – and the war must continue until Hamas’ remaining brigades are destroyed. It also says Hamas must agree to release hostages for a ceasefire to start.

The war erupted on Oct 7 when Hamas fighters swarmed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza have killed more than 32,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

Fighting continues

Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in Gaza on March 26, with no sign of a let-up in the war despite a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire”.

The resolution was adopted on March 25 after Israel’s closest ally, the United States, abstained amid growing concern over the worsening humanitarian situation after nearly six months of war.

The text demands an “immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a “lasting” truce.

It also demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages they took during the unprecedented Oct 7 attacks on Israel, though it does not directly link the release to a truce.

Israel criticised the US’ decision not to deploy its veto over the measure, which Israel said would not change anything on the ground.

Israeli air strikes killed dozens of Palestinians at both ends of Gaza overnight, hitting the area around Al-Shifa Hospital in the north and Rafah on the southern edge, where more than a million people have sought shelter.

The Israeli military says it has killed and arrested hundreds of Hamas fighters using the hospital as a base. Hamas and medical staff deny fighters were present and say civilians have been rounded up.

In the north, where intense fighting has raged for more than a week around Al-Shifa, members of the Haseera family told Reuters dozens were killed in a strike that wiped out a family compound.

In the south, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering in Rafah against the border fence with Egypt, the health authorities said 18 people, including eight children, were killed in a strike that levelled a house.

Blankets and children’s clothes were strewn amid the rubble, where relatives picked through the debris to retrieve belongings. Outside, a pillar of reinforced concrete crushed a burnt-out car.

Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah, where it believes most Hamas fighters are now sheltering. The US opposes such an assault, arguing it would cause too much harm to civilians who have sought refuge there.

Also in the south, a siege by tanks around two other hospitals in Khan Younis continued for the third day.

The UN says Gaza is on the verge of famine, with the entire population experiencing severe food shortages – half at the highest level of catastrophe – and mass death imminent unless more aid arrives immediately. Israel denies blame for hunger in Gaza and insists it is letting in enough food.

The media office of the Hamas-run Gaza authorities said 18 Palestinians had died in the past day trying to retrieve boxes of aid dropped by air. Twelve drowned chasing aid that landed in the sea, and six others were trampled to death.

It blamed the US for resorting to dangerous and inefficient airdrops, rather than pressing Israel to allow more aid in by land. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS, AFP