The Associated Press (AP) reports that CIA Director William Burns will visit Israel on Monday to continue cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, despite Israeli commanders discounting the possibility of an agreement that could end the violence.
Burns has flown to the Middle East several times to help the two sides negotiate a settlement to liberate the remaining hostages held by Hamas. He attended a session in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, which Hamas hailed as “in-depth and serious discussions.”
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Israeli representatives did not attend the Saturday meeting, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stating that the Israeli military will strike Rafah in the “very near future.” The Biden administration has consistently encouraged the Israeli government not to invade Rafah without a comprehensive plan in place to prevent civilian casualties.
Despite earlier progress, negotiations stalled in recent days after Hamas stormed an Israeli border crossing and Israel announced the closure of the Qatari-run Al Jazeera headquarters in Gaza. For months, Qatar has served as a go-between for Israel and Hamas in negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likewise discounted the chances of an agreement, calling Hamas’ demands “extreme” and pledging to continue the struggle against the militant organization.
The opposition to an agreement comes as the United Nations warns that starvation has begun among Gaza’s more than 2 million people. U.N. chiefs have repeatedly warned that the permitted humanitarian aid into Gaza is insufficient to sustain the population.
Gaza’s enormous humanitarian needs put a strain on efforts to reach a cease-fire. Egyptian mediators to Hamas have devised a three-stage plan that calls for an immediate six-week cease-fire, the partial release of Israeli hostages abducted on October 7, and some form of Israeli disengagement. The first stage would run for forty days. According to the Associated Press, Hamas would start by releasing female civilian captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
According to Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital, an Israeli strike on a residence in an urban refugee camp in Rafah killed four children, one of whom was a baby, and two adults from the same family.
Another Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least five individuals, according to Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. Israel’s military claimed it attacked a Hamas command headquarters in central Gaza. There was no mention of casualties.
Netanyahu continued in a furious speech for Israel’s annual Holocaust memorial day, “I say to the leaders of the world, no amount of pressure or decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself.”
