Efforts to broker an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal continued this week against the looming threat of a Rafah offensive. A Hamas delegation will arrive in Egypt on Monday to deliver its response to a new hostage and truce counter-proposal from Tel Aviv. Meanwhile the White House insisted that Israel had agreed to listen to US concerns before making any move towards Rafah. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also departed for Saudi Arabia on Sunday — seen by many as ‘one last chance’ for negotiations.
More than a million Palestinians had fled to the border city of Rafah as Israeli bombardment reduced much of north and central Gaza to rubble. Tel Aviv is now planning to after Hamas battalions in the southern Gaza city — a prospect that has sparked global alarm.
The Rafah border crossing is the sole entry and exit point to Gaza not directly under the control of Israeli forces. According to the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo, 80,000 to 100,000 people have crossed into Egypt since the Gaza war broke out in October last year.
Here are the latest developments:
- A Hamas delegation is set to visit Cairo on Monday for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.
- The Israeli military has continued to make preparations for an offensive in Rafah. However Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Channel 12 on Saturday that his country would suspend the operation “if there is a deal".
- Hamas had previously insisted on a permanent ceasefire — a condition that Israel has rejected. An Axios report citing senior Israeli officials however indicate that the latest proposal includes a willingness to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza after hostages are released.
The White House said that Israel has agreed to listen to US concerns before launching an invasion of Rafah. Officials indicated that a ceasefire deal at this time would pause fighting for six weeks.
“Well, look, I think, again, we have to have a better understanding from the Israelis about what they want to do. As a matter of fact, we've had several staff talks with them. We intend to do that more. They've assured us they won't go into Rafah until we've had a chance to really share our perspectives and concerns with them. So we'll see where that goes," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told ABC news.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Saudi Arabia for meetings with regional counterparts. Media reports indicate that the top official will make yet another trip to Israel on Tuesday.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has urged the United States to help prevent “the biggest disaster in the history of the Palestinian people".
"We appeal to the United States of America to ask Israel to stop the Rafah operation because America is the only country capable of preventing Israel from committing this crime," Abbas said at a global economic summit in the Saudi capital.
(With inputs from agencies)
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