Currently Online 
Israel frustrated with US handling of talks: Report
Israeli officials have told Axios that the US government knew about the ceasefire deal proposal Egypt and Qatar negotiated with Hamas, but it did not inform Israel before Hamas announced yesterday it agreed to it.
Three Israeli officials said Hamas’s announcement took the Israeli government by surprise, according to the publication. Israel did not get the text of the group’s response from the mediators until an hour after Hamas released its statement, the officials said.
When the Israeli side read Hamas’s response, they were surprised to see it contained “many new elements” that were not part of a previous proposal that Israel agreed on and that was presented to Hamas by the US, Egypt and Qatar 10 days ago, according to the officials.
“It looked like a whole new proposal,” one official was quoted as saying by Axios. A senior US official pushed back, telling the website that “American diplomats have been engaged with Israeli counterparts. There have been no surprises.”
Israeli envoy says US must ‘completely stop funding’ UN if Palestinian statehood endorsed
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has denounced a UN General Assembly (UNGA) draft resolution that would recognise Palestine as qualified to become a full UN member, saying it goes against the organisation’s founding Charter.
“If it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” Erdan said. US law stipulates that Washington can’t fund any UN body if it grants full membership to any group that lacks “internationally recognised attributes” of statehood.
The resolution, which UN General Assembly members could vote on this Friday, will serve as a global survey on support for the Palestinian bid. If passed, the resolution would recommend that the UN Security Council (UNSC) “reconsider the matter favourably”, after the US vetoed the Palestinian application for full membership last month.
Any application to become a full member requires approval from all 15 UNSC members and then the UNGA.
Mid-level Israeli team heads to Cairo to assess Hamas position: Report
Quoting a senior Israeli official, Reuters reports that a team of mid-ranking Israeli officials will go to Cairo in the next few hours to assess whether Hamas can be persuaded to shift on its latest ceasefire offer.
The official reiterated that the proposal as it currently stands was unacceptable to Israel. “This delegation is made up of mid-level envoys. Were there a credible deal in the offing, the principals would be heading the delegation,” the official told Reuters.
Hamas accuses Israel of sabotaging ceasefire talks
In a statement, Hamas has said Israel’s military incursion in the Rafah crossing is aimed at thwarting the continuing ceasefire talks.
“By deciding to close the Rafah and Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] border crossing, Israel is leading the region toward a disaster and continues its policy of starvation and persecution of [Palestinians],” said Hamas, which on Monday accepted a three-phase ceasefire deal proposed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
In its statement, the Palestinian group also urged for “international intervention” to push Israel towards a ceasefire, saying it holds the administration of US President Joe Biden and the international community fully responsible for the war’s continuation.
Gaza ceasefire proposal: What did Hamas agree to?
Essay Pro