TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A delegation of Palestinian militant groups Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday Egyptian state media reported « significant progress ». Ceasefire negotiations with IsraelAn Israeli official downplayed the chances of a full end to the war in Gaza.
Pressure has mounted to terminate the deal Almost 7 months of war. A top UN official is present Total famine in northern Gazawhen Israel insists it will attack RafahThe city is in the south of the territory, bordering Egypt, which is home to more than 1 million Palestinians.
Egyptian and U.S. mediators have reported signs of reconciliation in recent days, but prospects for a cease-fire deal remain bogged down by the key question of whether Israel will agree to end the war without achieving its stated goal of destroying Hamas.
Egypt's state-owned Al-Qahera News TV channel said on Saturday that consensus had been reached on several contentious issues, but did not elaborate. Hamas has called for a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.
A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, downplayed the chances of a full end to the war. The official said Israel remains committed to the Rafah invasion and will not agree under any circumstances to an end to the fighting as part of a deal to release the hostages.
The proposal presented by Egyptian mediators to Hamas sets out a three-phase process that would include an immediate, six-week ceasefire and the partial release of Israeli hostages and some form of Israeli withdrawal. The initial stage lasts for 40 days. Hamas will begin by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Gershon Baskin, director for the Middle East of the Organization for International Cooperation and Development, said Hamas appears to have agreed to a framework proposed by Egypt and already accepted by Israel. He said if Israel sends its top negotiators to Cairo after Shabbat ends on Saturday evening, it will signal that it is more serious.
According to local health officials in Gaza, the war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, caused widespread destruction and plunged the territory into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The conflict erupted on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, kidnapping about 250 people and killing 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says the militants They still hold 100 hostages and the remains of over 30 others.
At least six people were killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza early Saturday. Three bodies were recovered from the rubble of buildings in Rafah and taken to Yusuf Al Najjar Hospital. Three people were killed in the strike at the Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza, hospital officials said.
In the past 24 hours, the bodies of 32 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals, Gaza's health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its numbers, but says two-thirds of those killed were women and children.
The Israeli army claims to have killed 13,000 fighters, with no evidence to support the claim. It also carried out mass arrests during its raids inside Gaza.
Gaza's health ministry urged the International Criminal Court to investigate Gaza surgeon dies in Israeli custody. Adnan al-Borsh, 50, was working at al-Awda hospital when Israeli troops stormed it in December and detained him and others inside, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club.
In related developments this week, Israel briefed Biden administration officials Plans to evacuate civilians ahead of the Rafah operation, according to U.S. officials familiar with the negotiations.
The United Nations has warned that hundreds of thousands of people will be at « immediate risk of death » if Israel advances into the densely packed city, a key entry point for humanitarian aid.
Civilians trapped in Gaza's most cut-off north are on the brink of starvation, Cindy McCain, director of the UN's World Food Program, said on Friday. McCain said a cease-fire and a massive increase in aid via land and sea routes were essential.
Israel recently opened new crossings for aid in northern Gaza, but on Wednesday, Israeli settlers blocked the first convoy before entering the besieged area. Upon entering Gaza, the convoy was commandeered by Hamas fighters before UN officials recaptured it.
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Geoffrey reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Joseph Federman in Jerusalem and Bassem Mrou in Beirut contributed to this report.
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