Gaza mediators, Israel spy chief to meet in Rome: Egypt media
Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators are to meet Israeli negotiators in the Italian capital on Sunday in the latest push for a Gaza truce, Egyptian state-linked media has said.
“A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel’s intelligence chief, will be held in Rome,” Al-Qahera news, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported, citing an unidentified senior official.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been involved in months of mediation efforts aimed at ending the Israeli war raging in the Gaza Strip for more than nine months.
Earlier, US news outlet Axios reported that CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to hold talks on the issue in Rome on Sunday with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials.
The official quoted by Al-Qahera News said Egypt insists on “an immediate ceasefire” as part of the agreement, which should also “ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza” and “safeguard the freedom of movement” of civilians in the Palestinian territory.
Cairo would also like to see a “complete [Israeli] withdrawal from the Rafah crossing” connecting Gaza to Egypt, the official added.
Islamic Jihad slams Palestinian Authority for attempt to detain fighter
The group has said that efforts to detain a fighter from its armed wing, al-Quds Brigades, in Tulkarem show that the security coordination between the PA and Israel has “crossed all red lines”.
Earlier, we reported that clashes broke out in the occupied West Bank town between PA security forces and Palestinian fighters, amid an attempt to arrest Mohammed Jaber, who is wanted by the Israeli military.
Al Jazeera reported that several people intervened to prevent the arrest of the man, also known as Abu Shuja’, as PA security surrounded the Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital.
“This incident hurts all attempts to achieve unity and national reconciliation,” said the group, in a statement on its official Telegram channel. “The ink has not yet dried on the reconciliation agreement in Beijing. Continuing down this path will only serve the enemy.”
On July 23, various Palestinian factions agreed to form a unity government at talks hosted by China in a deal meant to deliver a post-war Gaza administration.
