Gaza ceasefire: Israel and Hamas inflexible, “emergency” meeting this Monday in Qatar

Israel’s military told AFP that three of its soldiers were killed and 12 wounded on Sunday by rocket fire fired by Hamas’ armed wing around Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid from Israel to the Gaza Strip.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the fire, prompting Israel to close a crossing used to deliver aid to Gaza. The Israeli military reported on Monday morning X intercepting “an enemy drone is flying towards Israel“.

A few hours later, 16 people from two families were killed in Israeli attacks targeting two houses in and around Rafah, AFP learned from rescuers and a hospital source.

Rescuers reported nine deaths in the Al Attar family and another seven in the Keshta family. A hospital source confirmed the results of two Israeli strikes on Sunday night.in the Yebna refugee camp in Rafah and around Al Salam“.

After the stop in Cairo, according to the American media, the head of the American intelligence service, William Burns, is expected on Monday in Qatar, the main mediating country, according to a source close to the negotiations. According to Egyptian media, the Hamas delegation is scheduled to return to Cairo on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israel cannot “to accept» the demands of the Islamist movement calling for a definitive cease-fire in the Palestinian territory before any agreement, especially on the release of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu continues to threaten to launch an offensive on the overcrowded town of Rafah, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, “with or without» armistice agreement.

Read also: Gaza: New Israeli strikes amid continued ceasefire talks

“I am telling world leaders that no amount of pressure, no decision of an international body will prevent Israel from defending itself“, he said during the Holocaust commemoration ceremony in Jerusalem.

“If Israel must stand alone, Israel will stand alone“, insisted the Israeli Prime Minister, condemning “the terrible volcano of anti-Semitism» that is spreading around the world against Israel.

He also announced his government’s decision to close the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channel’s Israel office, whose signal had been cut.

Al-Jazeera, which has reported extensively on the war in Gaza, condemned the decision “a criminal“.

meeting “an emergency»

Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismaïl Haniyeh previously accused Netanyahu of “sabotage the mediator’s efforts» with a view to a truce, while talks continued in Cairo in Israel’s absence.

An offer by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States, presented to Hamas in late April, envisions a truce tied to the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

A Hamas official said Sunday that the movement would not accept “in any case, an agreement that does not explicitly provide for an end to the war“.

The delegation, which traveled to Doha on Sunday night for consultations, according to Hamas officials, must return to Egypt on Tuesday.to finish the negotiations”, said a media outlet close to the Egyptian intelligence service, Al-Qahera News.

After the stop in Cairo, according to the American media, the director of the CIA also traveled to Qatar, a source close to the negotiations announced.

“In the absence of progress» during talks in Cairo, Burns must have “urgent meeting with the prime minister» from the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al Thani, «to discuss ways to get the negotiations back on track“, according to this source.

Pressure from hostage families

The war broke out on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrating from Gaza launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP.

During the attack, more than 250 people were abducted and 128 remained trapped in Gaza, including 35 who died, according to the army.

On Sunday, the Hostage Families Forum once again called on Netanyahu to accept a deal that would allow the release of the hostages.

“Netanyahu, history will not forgive you if you miss this opportunity», confirms this text.

The Israeli offensive launched in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack has so far left 34,683 dead, according to Hamas’ health ministry, which counted 29 dead in 24 hours on Sunday.

Gaza City in the north was bombed, as well as the center and south of the territory, including Rafah and the neighboring town of Khan Yunis.

“At this time yesterday, we were optimistic and were waiting for a cease-fire announcement. Today we are on the edge», Najat Shaat, a 59-year-old resident of Rafah, testified to AFP.

To achieve “final victory» and release the hostages, Benjamin Netanyahu continues to declare that he will launch a ground offensive on Rafah, where four Hamas battalions are grouped towards Israel.

This border town with Egypt became the final refuge for hundreds of thousands of civilians who fled the war further north. According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 million Palestinians, or half of the territory’s population, are still there.

And “real hunger»

Many capitals, including Washington, and humanitarian organizations fear heavy civilian casualties in the event of an offensive on the city.

Rafah is also the main land crossing for humanitarian aid, tightly controlled by Israel, which is besieging the territory. The offensive would be a “severe blow” to humanitarian operations, the UN warned.

The director of the UN’s World Food Program, Cindy McCain, was dismayed to see the northern Gaza Strip hit “real hunger», which advances towards the south.

Amid the humanitarian crisis, relations between Israel and the UN agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have soured since Israel accused about ten of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza of taking part in the October 7 attack.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced on Sunday that Israel had barred him from entering the Gaza Strip for the second time.