Seaport, prisoners derail Gaza ceasefire talks

Israel's rejection of Palestinian demands of creating a seaport and release of prisoners has derailed Egypt-hosted talks aimed at reaching a durable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, two Egyptian officials said.

"Over the last round of talks, Israel did not hold on to its condition of disarming the resistance as much as it held on to its refusal to build a seaport on the Gaza coast," an Egyptian official told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

He said Israel has also refused to release hundreds of prisoners arrested in the West Bank since June, during search operations for three Israeli settlers, who were later found dead near the southern city of Hebron.

"Israel has also refused to release the last batch of Palestinian prisoners, who have been detained before the signing of the Oslo Accords and who were scheduled to be released in June," another Egyptian official said.