CAIRO, EGYPT – Negotiations continued in Cairo on Wednesday for the second day as multiple countries attempted to forge a diplomatic agreement for a pause in the fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages. The leaders from the U.S., Israel, Egypt, and Qatar did not reach a breakthrough but agreed to continue “consultation and coordination,” according to Reuters.
One of the main issues preventing a deal is Israel’s pledge to crush Hamas and remain in charge of security in Gaza after the war, while Hamas demands a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the war-torn territory.
The negotiations are taking place ahead of an expected Israeli military offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where 1.4 million people have crowded in search of safety from the war. President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel not to invade Rafah unless there’s a plan that ensures the safety of civilians packed in the city.
In addition to the negotiations, Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Wednesday after a deadly rocket launched from the country killed at least one person and injured eight others in northern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have traded airstrikes and rocket fire along the border of Israel and Lebanon since the war broke out in Gaza.
The Israeli military is also calling for the evacuation of a large hospital in southern Gaza where thousands of civilians are sheltering, heightening fears of a potential invasion of the facility. The hospital has been surrounded for days by Israeli forces, with reports of civilians being shot by snipers as they attempted to escape the area.
An Israeli evacuation proposal for Rafah includes 15 campsites of about 25,000 tents built across southwestern Gaza and field hospitals controlled by Egypt, according to the Wall Street Journal. Israel would provide safe corridors for civilians to flee Rafah and go to areas cleared by the military. However, humanitarian aid groups said there’s no place for people sheltering in Rafah to go, with most other parts of the territory destroyed by Israel’s military operations.
The situation remains tense as negotiations continue and the possibility of further military offensives looms over Gaza and the neighboring regions. The ongoing conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis, with civilians caught in the crossfire and millions suffering from the destruction caused by the war.