Amidst mounting international pressure for a truce in the conflict-torn Gaza Strip, senior officials from Egypt, Israel, the United States, and Qatar gathered in Cairo to deliberate preparations for an additional ceasefire.
The US and UN have urged Israel against launching a ground attack into Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, where over a million Palestinians are confined, prompting the current hunt for a truce. In response to Hamas’ strikes on October 7, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, Israeli troops launched relentless bombing raids on Gaza, killing more than 28,000 civilians, according to health authorities.
Representatives from the three countries met with Israeli intelligence officials to deliberate the next steps for a new truce; the United States is supporting Qatar and Egypt in their efforts to mediate the conflict.
CIA director William Burns is under mounting pressure to resolve US President Joe Biden’s statement that Rafah civilians ‘ought to be safeguarded’ during his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday. After four months of fighting, King Abdullah called for an immediate halt to hostilities. Nevertheless, Biden’s warning follows the US Senate’s approval of a massive assistance package that sets aside $14 billion to bolster Israel’s battle in Gaza. A substantial portion of the $90 billion package will be sent to humanitarian relief for Gaza, while the majority will go to Ukraine to bolster President Zelensky’s military troops amid their continuing conflict with Russia.
Half of Gaza’s population has fled to Rafah, leaving behind temporary settlements near the Egyptian border where they endure water and food shortages, hepatitis and diarrhea epidemics. The Israeli operation that freed the two captives in Rafah left behind mountains of wreckage and bomb holes. The Hamas-run health ministry said that 28,340 individuals, primarily children and women, had lost their lives as a result of Israel’s ceaseless ground invasion and shelling of Gaza.
