Israeli representatives leave Cairo as demands increase for ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli representatives departed negotiations in Cairo to temporarily halt the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, as reported by Israeli and U.S. news outlets

The head of Israeli intelligence, David Barnea, held discussions with CIA Director William Burns in the Egyptian capital regarding a Qatari-mediated initiative aimed at temporarily ceasing hostilities in Gaza. 

These negotiations, which also involved Qatar’s prime minister and Egyptian officials, formed part of a growing effort to secure a ceasefire before Israel launches a large-scale ground invasion into the southern city of Rafah, from which over half of the territory’s residents have fled. 

Various foreign governments and the United Nations have expressed mounting concern about the potential civilian casualties resulting from such an assault, while Israel has affirmed its commitment to persist with its campaign until it completely eliminates Hamas from all of Gaza, including Rafah. 

According to The Times of Israel, an official from the Israeli prime minister’s office stated that the Israeli delegation departed Cairo on Tuesday night. 

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the discussions, reported that Barnea’s delegation left the Egyptian capital “without bridging the major gaps in the negotiations.” 

As per Egyptian state-owned television channel Al Qahera, a senior Egyptian official mentioned that the talks would extend for an additional three days. The same official conveyed that the discussions had been largely “positive,” as reported by the television channel. 

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the negotiations as “constructive and moving in the right direction.” He informed reporters at the White House, “Nothing is finalized until everything is settled.” 

Prior to the efforts to reach a truce, the Israeli advocacy group Hostages and Missing Families Forum sent a plea to the Mossad chief, urging the delegation not to return without an agreement. 

Approximately half of the estimated 250 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks are believed to still be in Gaza, with Israel presuming 29 of them to be deceased. 

Since then, at least 28,473 individuals, predominantly women and children, have lost their lives in Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian territory. 

“There is no safe place in Gaza at present,” stated U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. 

A report in the Wall Street Journal indicated that Israel was proposing to establish 15 camps, each with around 25,000 tents, in the southwestern region of Gaza as part of an evacuation plan. 

Egyptian officials were cited as saying that the camps and field hospitals would be set up and managed by Egypt, although this has not been confirmed. 

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths cautioned that Israel’s planned military advance into Rafah “could result in a massacre.” 

As smoke billowed over Rafah, Al Jazeera reported that two of its journalists sustained severe injuries in an Israeli strike at the location. 

Two other journalists from the same news outlet have lost their lives in the conflict, and the Gaza bureau chief, Wael al-Dahdouh, was wounded. 

Israel’s military announced on Tuesday that three additional soldiers had perished in Gaza, bringing its total losses to 232 since ground operations commenced on October 27. 

The military also stated that its forces had eliminated over 30 “militants” in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza, which has witnessed intense fighting in recent weeks. 

During a visit to the Gaza border, army chief Herzi Halevi remarked that Israel’s military was “preparing for an extended period of combat.” 

“If we do not continue to strike Hamas with determination, it will be difficult to bring back the hostages,” he added. 

Israel’s military released a video on Tuesday, purportedly from a security camera, showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his family inside a tunnel on October 10. 

“The footage depicts the leader of Hamas and mass murderer, Yahya Sinwar, fleeing with his children and one of his wives,” stated army spokesman Daniel Hagari. AFP was unable to independently verify the footage. 

The repercussions of the conflict have been widely felt, with violence involving Iran-backed allies of Hamas escalating across the Middle East. 

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire with Israel since the war commenced. 

On Tuesday, the leader of the Iran-backed movement, Hassan Nasrallah, stated that the cross-border hostilities would cease only “when the attack on Gaza stops.” 

 

Source: Newsroom