Ismail Haniyeh, one of the leaders of Hamas, held urgent contacts with mediators during the Israeli army’s “massacre” and “forced displacements” in Gaza. Haniyeh warned of disasters in Gaza, Rafah and other cities.
Haniyeh stressed during the talks that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his army bear full responsibility for the failure of the negotiation process, and warned that the events in Gaza, Rafah and other regions would return the negotiation process to its starting point.
The Israeli army’s attack southwest of Gaza city center left dozens of people martyred, many injured, and thousands of Palestinians displaced. Israeli troops continue air and ground attacks on various parts of the Gaza Strip, especially the city of Rafah.
- Indirect negotiations are expected to be held between Hamas and Tel Aviv in the coming days, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, to reach an agreement on the prisoner exchange and to establish a ceasefire.
- An Israeli negotiating team led by Ronen Bar, Director of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin-Bet, traveled to Egypt to participate in prisoner swap negotiations and talks on the management of the Rafah Border Crossing.
- Similarly, a delegation led by the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, arrived in Egypt ahead of the new round of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.
While Hamas stated that they were displaying a positive and flexible attitude to stop Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip, it was stated that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was increasing the obstacles to the negotiations.
