ALBAWABA - Israeli officials confirmed to AFP that Mossad chief David Barnea will be visiting Cairo, to meet with Egyptian and U.S. counterparts to hold talks regarding a new ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The Israeli sources also confirmed that Barnea will be meeting Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns, who will be joined in the Egyptian capital by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as the country's top diplomat and has brokered previous Gaza ceasefires.
Sources familiar with the specifics of the ceasefire talks said that Burns is expected in Cairo for talks on a Qatari-brokered truce proposal after Israel rejected the initial response last week from Hamas in Gaza.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the White House "does not support a full-scale military operation without a credible plan for civilians in Rafah".
These remarks come hours after Israel announced rescuing two hostages Hamas had taken into custody on October 7 and were in "stable medical condition".
Dozens of Israeli hostages were released after a deal with Hamas that had more than 200 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for hostages in Hamas's custody and the halting of all military operations from both sides across Gaza.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 28,473 people, with more than 68,146 injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
