Fears of renewed Gaza war as Hamas disarmament talks stall

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled, and Gaza risks sliding back into war.This week an Israeli air strike killed the son of Hamas's leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, and Palestinian sources confirmed to the BBC that the two sides had reached a deadlock in negotiations.Israeli media reports suggest Israel is preparing to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip because of the impasse and Hamas's refusal to give up its weapons."We understood, everyone understood that Hamas would not disarm, and they have followed through on their intentions," Michael Eisenberg, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister, told the BBC, describing Hamas as "an unrepentant terrorist group"."Nobody in Israel wants to go back to war," he said, but added "all options are on the table right now."Citing unnamed security sources, Israel's Channel 12 News has reported that Washington may give Israel the "green light" to resume "operations". One of the main options it says Israel is considering is to expand the so-called "Yellow Line" marking some 60% of Gaza that has remained under full Israeli military control during the ceasefire. Locals say this is already happening.Israel insists that Hamas's approach to disarmament is in breach of the ceasefire deal which came into effect on 10 October. However, Hamas insists that Israel is violating the agreement by failing to meet its humanitarian commitments and continuing deadly attacks.On Wednesday, a Hamas statement called on "the US administration and the guarantor states of the Sharm el-Sheikh [ceasefire] agreement" to "move immediately" to stop Israel's "aggression against the innocent people in Gaza".