Hamas delegation leaves Cairo
Hamas’s political bureau says its delegation has left Cairo, where they held ceasefire talks, and is en route to Doha, Qatar.
In a statement, the bureau said Israel’s invasion of Rafah and occupation of the Rafah border crossing were aimed at blocking the efforts of the mediators and escalating the war. It also reaffirmed the group’s “commitment and adherence” to the current truce proposal.
Israeli delegation, CIA director leave Cairo: Report
The Israeli delegation and CIA director William Burns have left Cairo after the latest round of talks aimed at reaching a truce and the release of hostages in Gaza, two Egyptian security sources have told Reuters.
Cairo truce talks over, Rafah operation to proceed
Israel expressed its “reservations” about a proposal for a captive-release deal, and deems this round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations over, a senior Israeli official told Reuters news agency.
The Israeli delegation is returning from the Egyptian capital and Israel will proceed with its military operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip as planned, the unnamed official added.
Major Rafah operation will not defeat Hamas, White House says
White House national security spokesman John Kirby says Israel undertaking a major Rafah operation will not advance the objective of both the US and Israel of defeating Hamas in Gaza.
“Smashing into Rafah … will not advance that objective,” Kirby said in a briefing with reporters.
Israel-US tensions over Rafah is about ‘tactics not objectives’
Nader Hashemi, the Center for Middle East Studies director at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, says it is important not to exaggerate the tensions between the US and Israel as the “Biden Administration continues to solidly support Netanyahu’s war aims in Gaza”.
What has emerged in the context of Rafah, he explained, is a “difference about tactics, not objectives”.
“Given rising domestic opposition to Biden’s Gaza policy, the US wants a lower civilian casualty toll than Israel does,” he said. “Objectively, what has transpired is a minor shift in US support for Israeli policy in Gaza.”
“It has moved from 100 percent support to 99 percent support. Israel can still bomb Rafah with impunity. It can displace the 1.4 million people residing there. It just cannot do this with US-made 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs that Israel has used in other parts of Gaza,” Hashemi added.
Israeli defence minister says Israel will achieve its war aims
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant tells Israel’s “enemies and friends” that it will do whatever is necessary to achieve its war aims in Gaza and on its border with Lebanon in an apparent response to US pressure to halt its operation in Rafah.
“I turn to Israel’s enemies as well as to our best of friends and say, the State of Israel cannot be subdued,” he said, according to remarks released by his office. “We will stand strong. We will achieve our goals. We will hit Hamas. We will hit Hezbollah, and we will achieve security.”
Israel will ‘stand alone’ if it must, Netanyahu says
In an apparent message to Biden, who has opted to suspend some weapons deliveries to Israel, Netanyahu has posted a video of an address he delivered on Sunday to commemorate the Holocaust.
In the speech, Netanyahu said, “No amount of pressure … will stop Israel from defending itself” and achieving its war objectives.
“Eighty years ago in the Holocaust, the Jewish people were totally defenceless against those who sought our destruction. No nation came to our aid,” he said.
What? No nation came to your aid? I guess Hitler just got tired of the war and quit? Jews were helped all over Europe during WW2. Ever heard of Anne Frank, fucking twat.
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