Gaza ceasefire talks hit a snag; deal may be delayed

Palestinians at the funeral of three brothers killed in airstrikes. Pic/AFP

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas hit a last-minute snag on Wednesday, delaying the expected announcement of a ceasefire agreement to pause the devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel accused Hamas of trying to make changes to already agreed upon arrangements along Gaza's border with Egypt and said it strongly rejected the move. Hamas called the claims "total nonsense".

Finger-pointing forced Qatar, which has been mediating weeks of negotiations, to delay an expected announcement of a deal.

The sides have been working on a phased agreement that would include the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas, the return of displaced Palestinians in Gaza to what remains of their homes and an influx of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

It was not clear how serious the dispute was, or whether the agreement was in danger of collapse, but some later reports suggested the dispute may soon be resolved.

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