Israel's military has seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a vital entry point for aid to Gaza on the Egyptian border. A Palestinian official said all movement had stopped at the facility after it was captured by Israeli tanks.
Twenty-three people were killed, including six children, in Israeli strikes on Rafah overnight, medical officials in the city said.
Israel has not accepted a deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which Hamas has agreed to, saying it's 'far from' meeting its demands, but will engage in more talks.
Palestinian civilians told to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli military have described their fear and despair. More than 1 million Palestinians had fled to the city during the seven-month war.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday will deliver a speech as he aims to issue a call to fight antisemitism amid a precarious moment in Israel’s war against Hamas and as protests have swept American college campuses.
CIA Director Bill Burns will return to Cairo on Tuesday for more talks, a source familiar with the meetings told CNN, as the US and other mediators look to revive an effort to bring about a ceasefire-for-hostages deal.
The main negotiations in Cairo are at the working level and Burns is not expected to join those, but he will meet the various delegations. Both Israel and Qatar has said they would be sending teams.
A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman described the latest round of talks in Cairo as “indirect negotiations between the two parties,” since Israel isn't expected to meet with Hamas officials.
Burns returned to Cairo late last week before moving to Doha over the weekend for further talks on the potential ceasefire deal in Gaza. In Doha, he helped rework the framework with the Qataris that was then presented to Hamas that the group responded to on Monday.
Israel said the terms of that proposal were “far from” meeting its demands, and warned that it would press ahead with a military operation in Gaza.
0 Comments