HAMAS leader Ismail Haniyeh visited Cairo today for talks on the war on Gaza as part of increased international efforts to secure another ceasefire.
Mr Haniyeh met Egyptian intelligence chief Abass Kamel to discuss a potential second truce, possibly including an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attack on southern Israel, which sparked the current violence.
It was not immediately clear how the meeting went.
Israel President Isaac Herzog said his country was ready for another so-called humanitarian pause, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement later ruling out the possibility.
In a post on social media, he said: “We won’t stop fighting until we’ve achieved all the objectives we’ve set ourselves: the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza.”
The meeting came as efforts to get the United Nations security council to pass a ceasefire resolution were set to resume today after voting was delayed on Tuesday.
Several changes have been made to a previous draft to accommodate the United States, which vetoed the previous motion and blocked council action.
The resolution’s calls also include a vision of a two-state solution and for parties to “refrain from depriving” Gaza’s civilians of basic services and humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued to batter the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, hitting three homes and a mosque and killing at least five people.
Many internally displaced Gazans have been seeking shelter in the region, which the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned was lacking humanitarian aid and overcrowded.
A previous bombardment of Rafah killed at least 20 people on Tuesday.
At least 46 were killed and more than 100 wounded yesterday when Israel bombed the Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulance depot in Jabalia was surrounded and besieged by Israeli forces.
The charity said there were 127 people inside the depot, including workers, displaced persons and injured people.
Israel officials claimed on Tuesday to be making progress in eradicating Hamas from Gaza, including by raiding the last functioning hospital in the north of the coastal enclave.
The military said it had struck 300 targets in Gaza.
Nearly 20,000 people have been killed during the 10 weeks of Israel’s brutal military campaign, which has also driven nearly 85 per cent of the population from their homes.
