The situation is getting worse by the hour, tons of aid are ready to go, expectations for a new round of negotiations are about to begin.

Egypt is scheduled to hold a new round of talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on March 10 to end the five-month conflict between the Israeli army and Hamas, amid a war that has caused a serious humanitarian disaster in this Mediterranean strip of land.

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said the conflict situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening by the hour. There is no safe place for anyone. (Source: AFP)

According to Egyptian media, with the participation of mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States, as well as representatives of Hamas, the new round of talks held in Cairo will discuss and promote the results of the meeting in Paris (France) on reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip as well as a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The new round of talks also aims to end Israel's attacks on Gaza, ensure the return of displaced Palestinians and increase humanitarian aid into the strip.

The previous round of talks in Cairo ended on March 7 without significant progress, and prospects of a temporary six-week ceasefire before Ramadan, which begins on March 11, have become slim.

Talks last week dragged on for five days as mediators' efforts hit a deadlock after the Israeli delegation boycotted the talks over Hamas' refusal to provide a list of surviving hostages.

Analysts hope that the efforts of mediators, as well as certain concessions from the warring sides, could lead to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza on the eve of Ramadan, thereby creating the basis for a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas forces that control the Gaza Strip.

* Previously, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on March 9 called for an end to hostilities, the release of hostages and access to detained Palestinians.

After five months of conflict between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric assessed: “The situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating by the hour. There is no safe place for anyone. The number of civilian deaths and the ongoing hostage-taking is shocking and unacceptable.”

In light of the current situation, the ICRC has issued three urgent appeals. The Geneva-based organization calls for a “cessation of hostilities” to facilitate humanitarian operations.

The ICRC also reiterated its demand for access to the hostages taken in the Hamas attack on Israel last October and for the “unconditional” release of the remaining hostages. Ms. Spoljaric called for respect for the dignity, safety and medical needs of the hostages.

Finally, the ICRC President requested that Palestinian detainees be treated humanely and allowed to contact their families. The ICRC must be informed and allowed to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.

* Meanwhile, the US charity World Central Kitchen said it was loading aid for the Gaza Strip onto a ship in Cyprus , preparing to deliver the first aid shipment to the territory via a shipping corridor the European Commission (EC) hopes to open this weekend.

The Spanish-flagged Open Arms docked at Larnaca in Cyprus three weeks ago. Cyprus is the European Union country closest to Gaza.

World Central Kitchen teams in Cyprus are loading humanitarian aid onto ships to be shipped to northern Gaza, World Central Kitchen announced on March 8. For weeks, World Central Kitchen and its NGO partner Open Arms have been preparing to open a shipping corridor that will allow for increased aid efforts in the region.

On the social media platform X , Open Arms also announced that efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor at sea to deliver aid to Gaza are making progress and that the organization's tugboats are ready to depart immediately, carrying tons of food, water and essential supplies for Palestinian civilians.

Earlier, EC President Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope that a maritime transport corridor could open on March 10. She said a “pilot operation” was launched on March 8, with the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to ensure “the first of many aid shipments are delivered to the people of Gaza”.

There is currently no operational port in Gaza and officials have not said where the first shipment will go, whether it will be subject to Israeli inspections or who will distribute the aid.

Also on March 8, the Pentagon said the US plan to establish a "temporary offshore maritime terminal" in Gaza would take up to 60 days and could involve more than 1,000 US personnel.

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