Hamas said its delegation was leaving for Cairo on Saturday to resume Gaza truce talks, while the United Nations warned that Israel’s attack on the Palestinian town of Rafah could lead to “bloody carnage”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday repeated Washington’s objections to the long-threatened offensive on Rafah.
At least 34,622 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 77,867 wounded in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. About 1,170 people were killed in the attacks led by Hamas on October 7, and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, while 132 are still missing.
Acceptance of a cease-fire agreement with Israel should be “carefree” for Hamas, but the motives of the fighters’ leadership in Gaza remain unclear, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, announced that its delegation would return to Cairo on Saturday to resume protracted talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar that would temporarily halt the Israeli offensive in exchange for the release of the hostages.
“We are waiting to see if, in fact, they can accept the agreement on the ceasefire and the release of the hostages,” said Blinken on Friday evening.
