Summary
We’re wrapping up this blog for the day. Here is a recap of the day’s developments:
The Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo earlier on Saturday and has begun talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators on a possible Gaza truce. Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and advisor to Hamas’ chief, told Reuters that Hamas was dealing with their proposals “with full seriousness and responsibility” – but reiterated demands for a full end to the war.
The delegation’s arrival comes after a senior Hamas spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Israel’s planned Rafah assault was another “key” issue.
The issue of lasting peace is proving a challenge in negotiations: Hamas has long called for Israel to commit to ending its offensive, while Israel continues to rule this out, insisting that any ceasefire will be followed by its army resuming fighting in order to root out Hamas.
Israel has briefed the US on its plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians during a planned offensive on the southern city of Rafah, US officials familiar with the matter have told AP – but the US administration reportedly remains unchanged in its view that the assault would risk too many civilian lives.
Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians during an overnight raid in a village near the city of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reports, citing Palestinian officials and its reporter at the scene.
A final bit of context as we wait for further updates from Cairo. Anonymous sources from different delegations have offered varying views on the negotiations: AP reports that Egyptian and US mediators have told of signs of compromise in recent days, and Reuters reports that an unnamed Palestinian official voiced cautious optimism.
But an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war – one of Hamas’ longstanding demands – telling AP Israel was committed to the Rafah invasion and that it will not agree to end the war as part of a deal to release hostages.
We’ll be shutting this blog shortly – thank you for reading.
Updated
Israeli forces have shelled a mosque in the town of Al-Fukhari, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Al Jazeera, which cites its correspondent.
Israeli shelling also hit the towns of al-Mughraqa and az-Zahra in central Gaza, according to the report.
It remains unclear if there have been casualties.
