The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a delegation led by the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, will depart for Cairo tomorrow, Wednesday. Meanwhile, it is expected that William Burns, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), will arrive in Cairo today, Tuesday, to participate in the ongoing negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt for a prisoner exchange deal and to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States indicated on Monday that it is still possible for the Islamic resistance movement Hamas and Israel to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire agreement. The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “There are a number of points in the proposal put forward by Hamas that cannot be defended, but we believe that reaching an agreement is possible, and we will continue our efforts to achieve it.”
Miller added that the U.S. sees significant benefits in reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, “not only for the hostages who will be released but also for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and our ability to start working towards a real and lasting solution to this conflict.”
Israel will send a delegation to Cairo led by Mossad chief Barnea, the head of the Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and Brigadier General Nitsan Alon. Israeli officials mentioned last Saturday that the success of the talks in Cairo depends on Egypt and Qatar’s ability to persuade Hamas to “retract the significant demands it has made” and “agree to negotiations based on the Paris plan,” which was reached two weeks ago.
The proposal, first introduced during talks in Paris that brought together Burns with senior Israeli, Qatari, and Egyptian officials, stipulates a temporary halt to hostilities and a prisoner exchange between the two parties.
Hamas responded by accepting the proposal in principle, demanding the release of prominent Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from cities in the sector. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ response to the proposal and vowed to direct a “deadly blow” to the movement.
Informed sources indicated that Burns is expected to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday to hold another round of talks regarding an agreement mediated by Qatar.
Israel launched intensive airstrikes on Rafah last night, resulting in the killing of more than 100 Palestinians. They announced the release of two of their captives in the sector, totaling over 130, according to their military statements.
Israel insists on carrying out a ground operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, while Western countries and the United States warn against attacking over a million Palestinians crowded in the city, after fleeing from a devastating war launched by Israel in the northern sector, leading to the deaths of over 28,000 Palestinians so far.
Miller stated, “Our assessment is that this airstrike is not the beginning of a widespread offensive in Rafah.” He added that Washington will clarify over the weekend that it does not endorse launching a large-scale military operation in Rafah “without a credible plan.”
An American official mentioned that the Israeli airstrikes on southern Rafah in Gaza should not affect negotiations to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of detainees.
The Pentagon stated that it is continuing discussions with the Israelis about the importance of considering civilians within their military plans, emphasizing that they do not want to see any additional humanitarian suffering inflicted on the residents of Gaza.
In a related context, Democratic Congresswoman Pamela Jayapal stated that it is time to urge U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress to publicly refuse to provide any military aid to Israel. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen called on President Biden to refrain from providing any weapons to Israel unless further aid is allowed for Gaza.
He noted that children in Gaza are dying due to deliberately withheld food, which constitutes a war crime, calling on Biden to immediately demand Netanyahu to allow more food and supplies into Gaza, stating that “Netanyahu has made a habit of thanking us for military aid and rejecting our requests to protect civilians.”
