US says still working towards Gaza ceasefire deal in Cairo
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says Washington is still working in Cairo towards reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza, adding that the US is concerned about the conflict escalating into a broader regional war.
Sullivan, who was speaking to reporters in Halifax, Canada, said the Biden administration is in constant communication with Israel about the situation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hamas earlier this evening in a statement said its delegation in Cairo demanded that Israel be bound by what was agreed upon on July 2, following a plan laid out by US President Joe Biden and a UN Security Council resolution.
While the Palestinian group confirmed its readiness to implement that deal to achieve the interests of the Palestinian people and stop the destruction of the Gaza Strip, it stressed the need for any agreement to include a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
US says the work continues as Cairo talks end without a deal
Going into these latest negotiations, we heard from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who said that this could be the last best chance for a ceasefire deal.
So, now that the talks have concluded, the Biden administration is still trying to send a somewhat optimistic message. We heard from the national security adviser to President Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, who repeated much of what they’ve been saying – that they don’t want to see this go into a wider conflict in the region and that they are still working towards a ceasefire deal.
We also got a statement on background from a National Security Council official who told Al Jazeera that the talks were conducted in a “spirit of trying to reach a final implementable agreement from all sides”, including Israel and Hamas, and that the negotiations will continue over the coming days through working groups to further address the remaining issues and details.
So, exactly what are those remaining issues? They’re not going into specifics but they are trying to send the message that the work continues. This is a huge priority for Biden. So in the days to come, we are going to see what the president is willing to do to try and get these talks across the finish line.
So far, he hasn’t seemed willing to put much pressure on Israel at all.
I would say the US is only encouraging Israel, negative pressure, here's some more money and bombs. Oh and we weren't serious about sanctioning that criminal Settler army battalion, forget we said that, here have some more funds.
Actions speak louder than words.
Hamas, Israel turned down compromise proposals in Cairo: Report
The Reuters news agency is reporting that neither Hamas nor Israel agreed to compromise proposals presented by mediators in Sunday’s ceasefire talks in Cairo. The agency cited two Egyptian security sources.
The proposals included alternatives to the presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor, but none was accepted by the parties, the Egyptian sources said.
They added that Israel also expressed reservations on several of the Palestinian detainees that Hamas is demanding the release of and demanded their exit from Gaza if they are released, the sources added.
