Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Agreement Is Close; Pope Criticizes Israel

Three Palestinian groups that traveled to Cairo for ceasefire negotiations regarding Gaza and the release of hostages have reported significant progress in the talks and the proximity of an agreement. The extremist group Hamas stated on Saturday that if the Israeli Prime Minister does not impose 'new conditions,' the possibility of reaching an agreement is 'closer than ever.' The Cairo negotiations took place on Friday evening with the participation of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. All three groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. and the European Union, and reports suggest that each may hold a number of Israeli hostages. A senior Hamas official also spoke to the French news agency about 'significant and important progress' in the Cairo negotiations. The Cairo talks follow negotiations that took place last week in Doha, mediated indirectly by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar between Israel and Hamas. The unnamed senior Hamas official told the French news agency that if the Israeli Prime Minister does not present new conditions, 'the agreement could be reached within the remaining days of this calendar year.' The U.S. has expressed cautious optimism about the nearing ceasefire agreement; John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, noted that while there is hope, they remain cautious as 'we have been in this situation before, but it did not come to fruition.' Various reports have emerged regarding the remaining points of contention between the two sides over the ceasefire agreement. The Times of Israel cited an Arab diplomat stating that Hamas insists on changing the wording in the agreement from a ceasefire to 'end military operations' to a ceasefire for 'ending the war.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently emphasized the continuation of the Gaza war until the complete destruction of Hamas, stating to the Wall Street Journal on Friday that he only agrees to a temporary halt in fighting to free hostages. Other media outlets have also reported that issues such as Israel's presence on the Philadelphi Route or the names of Palestinian prisoners in Israel are among the points of contention. The current crisis began after the extremist group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 of last year, killing about 1,200 people and taking nearly 250 hostages. It is believed that 101 hostages, alive or dead, are still held by this extremist group. In response to Hamas's attack last year, Israel launched a military operation throughout the Gaza Strip, which, according to Hamas officials, has resulted in over 45,000 deaths so far. Meanwhile, Pope Francis, the leader of the world's Catholics, criticized Israeli airstrikes on Gaza once again on Saturday. In his annual speech to cardinals for Christmas, Pope Francis said, 'Yesterday, children were bombed; this is injustice, not war.' According to Reuters, the Pope's remarks apparently refer to Israeli airstrikes against the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, which resulted in at least 25 deaths. The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized the Pope's new statements, stating in a statement: 'Injustice is when terrorists hide behind children and attempt to kill Israeli children.' The Pope has recently spoken more explicitly about Israeli attacks on Gaza, and his comments in a book have also faced severe criticism from Israel. In a book summarized recently in Italy, he stated that according to some international experts, 'what is happening in Gaza has characteristics of genocide.' Amichai Shikli, Israel's Minister of Immigration, criticized the Catholic leader's remarks, writing in a letter published on Friday in the Italian newspaper Il Foglio that the Pope's statements trivialize the term genocide.