Hamas delegation completes ceasefire negotiations in Cairo as Israel reiterates intent to enter Rafah

The latest round of ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, Egypt have ended, according to Hamas, though it’s unclear whether a deal is any closer to becoming to fruition.

The terrorist group said the discussions its representatives had with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators were “in-depth and serious.”

Israel and Hamas remain in disagreement over various aspects of a deal, but most starkly is Hamas’s desire for a ceasefire agreement to be permanent, which is a non-starter for Israeli leaders. Both sides have blamed the other for the lack of a deal.

Hamas, in its statement, reiterated its determination to “reach an agreement that meets the national demands of our people, ends the aggression completely, and achieve withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, the intensification of relief, the start of reconstruction, and the completion of the prisoner exchange deal.”

Getting a ceasefire agreement would allow for the release of some of the Israeli hostages currently being held by Hamas in Gaza and would permit a surge of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the strip.

Israeli leaders have reiterated their stance that they intend to carry out significant military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is where more than a million Palestinians have fled during the war, but also where Hamas battalions are currently located.

“I say to the leaders of the world, no amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday in a speech honoring Holocaust Memorial Day. Similarly, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned, “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza.”

The United States does not support Israel’s intended Rafah operations due to concerns that it could result in mass civilian casualties.

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Also on Sunday, Hamas carried out a deadly rocket attack near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which is the primary point for humanitarian aid to get into the strip. Three troops were killed and 11 wounded in the attack on Kerem Shalom, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF temporarily shut down the crossing following the attack.

Israel’s Air Force struck the location where the projectiles were fired from, the IDF said.