While good news comes from Cairo, a stop comes from Israel.
"There is significant progress in the negotiations" between Hamas and Israel on the proposed ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, announced the Egyptian broadcaster Al-Qahera News, linked to the country's secret services, citing an anonymous source. Egyptian mediators have "reached an agreed formula on most of the disputed points," he added.
But an Israeli official close to the talks denied Arab media reports that the United States had guaranteed that Israel would withdraw all troops from Gaza upon conclusion of a three-stage ceasefire agreement. “Contrary to reports, Israel will under no circumstances accept an end to the war as part of a deal to release our hostages,” the official was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel. “As decided by the political leaders, the IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there with or without a temporary truce to allow the release of our hostages,” the source underlines.
Israel has repeatedly refused to end the war to destroy Hamas in Gaza as a condition for a deal on the release of hostages.
(Unioneonline/ss)
