Israel to Attend New Ceasefire Talks After Rejecting Hamas' Proposal

Israel will attend the new rounds of talks related to the comprehensive ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip and plans to send a delegation to Qatar, according to the Hebrew press. The decision to resume a new round of talks comes as the UN warned of the food crisis worsening in the enclave, and children on the verge of acute malnutrition in the north of the enclave due to the war. At least one in three children aged under two are at risk of malnutrition as the strip is on the brink of famine, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says.

After the rejection of a proposal submitted by Hamas via the Qatari mediators for a ceasefire deal, Israel on Friday said it is slated to send a delegation to Qatar for more talks and break the impasse. A source close to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, noted that the delegation will be led by the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, reports suggest. As the talks begin, Tel Aviv will convene the security cabinet to discuss the terms.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu previously rejected the proposal handed by Hamas for a comprehensive ceasefire deal and release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu labelled Hamas’ counterproposal as “still absurd,” adding that Israel would not agree to the terms laid out by the Palestinian militant group. Israel’s Prime Minister, however, added that he would dispatch Israeli delegates to Qatar to continue truce efforts “once the security cabinet discusses the Israeli position.”

According to the statement published by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli premier approved an  IDF plan of operation “to enter the southern Gaza city of Rafah,” where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are crammed due to military operation in other regions of Gaza. The IDF “is prepared for the operation and to evacuate the [civilian] population,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read.