CAIRO – 8 May 2024: Egypt is ready for all scenarios in Gaza after the Israeli army entered the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing, while at the same time is not taking on any security responsibilities inside the Gaza Strip, an informed source told Al-Qahera News on Tuesday.
The source stated that Egypt informed Israel of the seriousness of the escalation following the Israeli army’s incursion earlier Tuesday, according to Ahram Online.
Earlier, an Egyptian security delegation had called for Israel to immediately reverse the incursion, Al-Qahera News reported, citing a high-level source.
A new round of talks started in Cairo on Tuesday between Egyptian, Qatari, American, and Hamas delegations to reach a comprehensive ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli delegation is in Cairo as well, but does not include the country’s top negotiators, Israeli news websites reported.
Israel described the most recent proposal as “far from meeting Israel’s requirements.”
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US will review Hamas' response to the proposal with Egypt and Qatar and discuss it with Israel.
In a social media post on Monday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he is closely following up the positive developments in truce negotiations.
He called on all parties to exert further efforts to reach a deal that leads to ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and conducting a captive-prisoner swap.
Deputy Head of the Hamas Political Bureau Khalil Al-Hayya said the Egyptian-Qatari proposal includes a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, unconditional return of the displaced people, a prisoner swap, and reconstruction of the strip.
The Israeli invasion comes amid a worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially Rafah, which houses more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.
Israel ordered on Monday 100,000 Palestinians to leave the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah ahead of the planned operation.
After Hamas approved the truce proposal, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for Israel and Hamas on Monday to agree to a ceasefire.
“This is an opportunity that cannot be missed,” the UN chief stressed.
“A ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and because of its destabilizing impact in the region,” he added.
Since the war began on 7 October, Israeli forces have killed over 34,700 people, injured more than 78,100, caused extensive damage to Gaza's infrastructure, and displaced most of the strip's residents.
Wed, May. 8, 2024
