Abroad, a senior Hamas official mentioned it’s rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal made at talks in Cairo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned a date was set for an invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s final refuge for displaced Palestinians.
Israel and Hamas despatched groups to Egypt for talks that included Qatari and Egyptian mediators in addition to CIA Director William Burns.
Burn’s presence underlined rising stress from Israel’s foremost ally the U.S. for a deal that may free Israeli hostages held in Gaza and get help to Palestinian civilians left destitute by six months of battle.
However senior Hamas official Ali Baraka advised Reuters: “We reject the newest Israeli proposals that the Egyptian facet knowledgeable us of. The politburo met right now and determined this.”
One other Hamas official had earlier advised Reuters that no progress had been made within the negotiations.
“There isn’t any change within the place of the occupation (Israel) and due to this fact, there may be nothing new within the Cairo talks,” the Hamas official, who requested to not be recognized, advised Reuters. “There isn’t any progress but.”
Particulars of the proposal weren’t instantly identified.
In Jerusalem on Monday, a day after Israeli forces pulled again from some areas of southern Gaza, Netanyahu mentioned he had obtained an in depth report on the talks in Cairo.
“We’re always working to attain our targets, in the beginning the discharge of all our hostages and attaining a whole victory over Hamas,” Netanyahu mentioned.
“This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It would occur – there’s a date.”
He didn’t specify the date.
Reuters