AFP United News
Reuters reported on May 8th that Israel showed no signs of progress in the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas and Gaza, which are currently underway in Cairo, Egypt. An Israeli official said, “We have not seen signs of a breakthrough in the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas for the release of hostages,” adding, “However, the negotiation team has decided to stay in Cairo for a while.”
In Cairo, ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza were resumed the previous day with the participation of Israel, Hamas, and mediators from the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and others.
Earlier, Hamas announced on the 6th that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
The core of the ceasefire plan that Hamas agreed to accept is to ultimately achieve sustainable tranquility in the Gaza Strip.
Israel said that Hamas’s ceasefire proposal is distant from their demands, but sent a negotiation team to Cairo to understand Hamas’s exact position.
At the same time, Israel seized the border checkpoint in Rafah, the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip, considered the last stronghold of Hamas, with tanks on the 7th. Foreign media interpret this move as an effort by Israel to isolate Hamas and pressure them into agreeing to release hostages.
Meanwhile, the official reported that William Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on the same day to discuss a proposal to stop the Rafah attack in exchange for the release of hostages.
However, the U.S. Embassy in Israel has not commented on Director Burns’ visit to Israel.
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