Al-Qahera, an Egyptian state-linked platform, announced significant advancements were made during recent peace talks in Cairo, Egypt. The discussion focused on multiple controversial points of agreement, according to a superior Egyptian source cited by Al-Qahera. The delegates from Qatar and Hamas have now left the Egyptian capital but are set to return over the following two days to finalise the agreement’s terms.
The US and Israeli contingents are slated to check out of the Egyptian capital within the coming hours. Consultations over the next 48 hours are also in the pipeline. The CIA director, Bill Burns and the Qatari Premier, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani have been registered to partake in the Cairo negotiations along with representatives from Egypt, Israel, and Hamas.
Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier, however, stated on Sunday that Israel is not going to accede to a ceasefire until hostages held in Gaza are set free. Meanwhile, Israel’s army has retracted all ground force from southern Gaza citing “tactical reasons”. This move has triggered speculation about the upcoming directions of the conflict which has been ongoing for six months, especially in the midst of the Cairo discussions.
Despite the withdrawal, the Israeli army will maintain significant troops throughout Gaza. This pull-out seems more inclined towards offering relief to reservists who have been battling continuously in Khan Younis, rather than a major strategic reorientation. On Sunday night, the Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, claimed that the pull-out was part of a plan to launch a ground onslaught on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.
In further developments, the backlash from World Central Kitchen Founder, José Andrés, who condemned Israel’s attack killing seven aid workers as a “war against humanity itself”, was confronted by the White House, denying any chance of placing US observers on the ground in Gaza. John Kirby, the White House National Security communications adviser, proposed operational changes from the Israeli defence forces to prevent such incidents in the future – The Guardian.