At least twenty people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Rafah since Tuesday morning.
Cairo:
Egypt is hosting delegations from Hamas, Israel, Qatar and the US in Cairo with the aim of reaching a “comprehensive ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli delegation, which arrived in Cairo on Tuesday afternoon, included members of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and the Shin Bet security service, an Egyptian source speaking on condition of anonymity told Xinhua news agency.
In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the delegation to “stand firm on the conditions necessary for the release of our hostages, and to continue to adhere to the essential requirements to ensure Israel’s security to ensure.”
However, he noted that the ceasefire proposal brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators and approved by Hamas on Monday did not meet Israel’s essential requirements.
Egypt is doing everything it can to reach a comprehensive truce, state-affiliated Al-Qahera News quoted an unnamed senior source. The source added that Egypt was communicating with various parties to curb the crisis.
The Israeli army launched a military operation on Tuesday in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than 1 million internally displaced Palestinians have sought refuge since the Israeli offensive began on October 7 last year.
At least 20 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Rafah since Tuesday morning, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on both Israel and Hamas to end the ongoing conflict.
“We are at a decisive moment for the Palestinian and Israeli people and for the fate of the entire region,” the UN chief said.
“An agreement between the government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas is essential to end the unbearable suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza and of the hostages and their families,” Guterres added.
Cairo, Doha and Washington brokered a weeklong ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended in late November 2023 and included a swap between Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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