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1 of 2 | Israeli officials connected Saturday downplayed hopes that a cease-fire woody pinch Hamas complete nan ongoing warfare successful Gaza was imminent arsenic a delegation from Palestinian group arrived successful Egypt for negotiations. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI | License Photo
May 4 (UPI) -- Hopes for a Gaza cease-fire surged Saturday arsenic a Hamas delegation arrived successful Egypt for negotiations connected a woody to merchandise long-held hostages, but Israeli officials downplayed nan possibility.
Egyptian and U.S. mediators person brokered nan bid talks successful Cairo pinch CIA head Bill Burns arriving Friday successful nan superior city.
U.S. President Joe Biden has besides been straight progressive successful cease-fire talks.
An existing connection put distant by Egyptian officials would spot Hamas merchandise nan remaining hostages being held successful Gaza.
Egyptian media reported Saturday that Hamas representatives were taking a "positive" reside up of negotiations.
"We are wished to unafraid an statement successful a measurement that fulfills Palestinians' demands," nan militant said successful a statement.
However, an Israeli delegation is not expected to caput to Cairo until Hamas responds to nan proposal, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a communicative primitively published by Israel's English connection nationalist broadcaster KAN English News.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed nan delegation's travel to Egypt, according to nan newspaper.
The first shape of nan cease-fire woody would reportedly spot Hamas work together to nan humanitarian merchandise of hostages minus an charismatic committedness from Israel to extremity nan war.
Netanyahu has many times insisted nan Israel Defense Forces will behaviour a crushed cognition successful nan southernmost Gaza metropolis of Rafah to "eliminate nan [Hamas} battalions there." The militant group has dug successful astir nan metropolis of 1.2 million, pinch galore of Rafah's residents already displaced successful nan Palestinian enclave.
Such an incursion successful Rafah "could lead to a slaughter," nan United Nations Office for nan Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu made it clear an penetration of Rafah will spell guardant independent of negotiations to free hostages held successful captivity by Hamas.
Netanyahu has besides antecedently said location tin beryllium nary negotiations until each nan remaining hostages are freed.
The IDF estimates that astir 130 hostages are still being held captive by Hamas, though a number of them are believed to beryllium dead. They were primitively kidnapped by Hamas during its bloody Oct. 7 astonishment attack.
