Hamas officials have left Cairo after talks with Egyptian officials over a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza, Egyptian state satellite channel Al-Qahera News said on Tuesday. The channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said a Hamas delegation will return to Cairo with a written response to the ceasefire proposal, without saying when.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Israel on his latest trip to the region, which began on Monday in Saudi Arabia. He said Israel needs to do more to allow aid into Gaza, but that the best way to ease the humanitarian crisis is for the two sides to agree to a ceasefire.
The war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the unprecedented October attack. 7 in southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 hostages. Israel says the militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes, caused widespread destruction in several towns and cities, and brought northern Gaza to the brink of famine.
At the moment:
– Before his visit to Israel, Blinken pressures Hamas to accept the new ceasefire proposal.
— US military ships are helping to build a dock for aid to Gaza. It will cost at least $320 million.
— The highest court of the United Nations is preparing to rule on Nicaragua’s request that Germany stop aid to Israel.
— Student protests over the war in Gaza shake American universities before graduations.
— A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea.
— See https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war for more AP coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Here’s the latest:
CAIRO – Hamas officials have left Cairo after talks with Egyptian officials over a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza, Egyptian state satellite channel Al-Qahera News said on Tuesday.
The channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said a Hamas delegation will return to Cairo with a written response to the ceasefire proposal, without saying when.
The delegation, chaired by senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, held talks with Egyptian officials on Monday that focused on a proposal drawn up by Egypt to establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Along with Qatar and the United States, Egypt is mediating between Israel and Hamas to secure a force after nearly seven months of war. In recent weeks, Egypt has stepped up mediation efforts in hopes of preventing an attack on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city on the border with Egypt, where more than half of Gaza’s population takes refuge.
Terms of the draft agreement were not made public. But Israeli media said Israel softened its position and is now seeking the release of 33 hostages – down from 40 – in exchange for the release of some 900 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is believed to be holding about 100 Israelis in Gaza and the remains of at least 30 more.