According to Reuters, on February 13, local time, the United States, Egypt, Israel and Qatar held negotiations in Cairo, Egypt on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip "did not make a breakthrough". However, Egypt** said the talks took place in a "positive atmosphere".
The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter, wrote that the day's talks were "promising" but not close to a deal, and the talks would continue for three more days.
According to the Times of Israel, the ceasefire framework agreement formulated by the Israeli delegation was vetoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli side "only listened" to the progress of the negotiations during his trip to Cairo, did not put forward new ideas, and did not formally respond to the demands of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
At the same time, Israel's recent airstrikes on the Rafah area in southern Gaza have aroused global concern, and the international community has called on Israel to stop military operations as soon as possible.
On February 13, 2024 local time, in Cairo, Egypt, Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (right) met with William Burns (center left), director of U.S. intelligence, at the Etihadia Palace. (Source: Visual China).
Netanyahu let the Israeli delegation only listen and not speak".
The Times of Israel, citing Israel's public broadcaster Hebrew channel, reported that Israel's General Directorate of Intelligence (Simbet), Israel's Intelligence and Secret Service (Mossad) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) developed a new framework for a ceasefire agreement for the exchange of detainees, but was vetoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the report, the Israeli side has discussed this proposal with Netanyahu many times, the most recent of which was a preparatory meeting for the Cairo talks, but it was still vetoed by Netanyahu. The Israeli media did not disclose the details of the framework of the agreement.
Netanyahu instructed the Israeli delegation to travel to Cairo to "listen" to the negotiations, not to come up with new ideas, and not to formally respond to Hamas's demands for a ceasefire and an exchange of detainees.
After talks with Netanyahu, the head of IDF hostage rescue, Nizan Aron, decided not to participate in the Cairo talks, but to send his deputy. The Israeli delegation was led by the heads of Simbert and the Mossad.
According to the Times of Israel, Israel had previously hesitated to send a delegation to the Cairo talks, and finally decided to participate under pressure from the United States.
Last week, Hamas proposed a ceasefire plan that would lead to a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire that would result in the release of hostages in three phases and a final end to the war. But Israel told The Times of Israel on Feb. 8 that Israel is trying to pressure Hamas to withdraw its "delusional" clause and does not intend to offer any new solutions.
On February 13, 2024 local time, in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continued, and surviving family members searched for their remaining belongings from the destroyed buildings of the Devish family in the Nuseirat refugee camp. (Source: Visual China).
Ceasefire negotiations were extended for three days.
In Cairo, Egypt's ** Sisi, Egyptian General Intelligence Director Abbas Kamal, US ** Intelligence Director Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed, Israeli Mossad Director Barnea and others attended the talks on the 13th, with the aim of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians and providing more aid to Gaza.
During the talks with Mohammed, el-Sisi warned that the escalation of military operations in Rafah would be "extremely dangerous" and would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground.
In a statement, the Egyptian side said it was "eager to continue consultations and coordination on key issues," which Reuters said meant that the day's talks "did not lead to any breakthroughs."
According to a Reuters correspondent, the Israeli delegation had left Cairo after the meeting. The Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On February 13, 2024 local time, in Cairo, Egypt, Egypt** Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al Thani at the Ittihadia Palace. (Source: Visual China).
However, Egypt's Cairo news channel quoted an Egyptian senior ** on the 13th as saying that the Cairo four-party talks were held in a "positive atmosphere" and there were no differences.
According to the New York Times, an Egyptian and an American revealed that the talks will last for three more days, and only lower-level leaders will participate in the follow-up. The above-mentioned ** believes that the talks on the 13th are "promising", but Israel and Hamas are "still not close" to reaching an agreement.
A Palestinian** earlier said that the parties were seeking a solution acceptable to Hamas, which insisted that Israel commit to ending the war and withdrawing its troops from Gaza.
According to a Hamas**, Hamas told participants that it did not believe that Israel would not resume the war if the detained Israeli personnel were released.
Ahead of the Cairo talks, Biden was optimistic that the United States is pushing ahead with talks on a Palestinian-Israeli exchange of detainees, and if the talks are reached, the Gaza Strip will have a ceasefire for at least six weeks. However, there has been no progress on this outlook.
The Israeli army plans to advance to Rafah, "to the first day, there is no safety at all".
China and other countries oppose and condemn acts that harm civilians and violate international law, and call on Israel to stop military operations as soon as possible and make every effort to avoid innocent civilians**, and even Israel's staunch ally, the United States, has urged the Israeli army not to launch a ground attack on Rafah without making a plan that will not harm civilians.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), nearly 1.5 million people are now seeking refuge in the border area, seven times the population before 7 October last year.
On February 13, 2024 local time, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Ibrahim Hashona (center), the only survivor of his family, stands among the rubble of a bombed-out house. On February 12, local time, Hashona lost eight family members, including three children. (Source: Visual China).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the IDF and security services on the 9th of this month to develop a plan for a ground operation in Rafah, describing Rafah, the southernmost point of Gaza, as Hamas's "last bastion", saying that there are four battalions of Hamas militants there. Netanyahu claimed that as long as these people remained in Rafah, Israel would not be able to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas.
Over the past few days, Israeli forces have launched intensive air strikes on cities in central and southern Gaza. The health department of the Gaza Strip said on the evening of the 12th that from the early morning to the evening of the same day, the air strikes by Israeli military aircraft on Rafah had killed 74 people. Hamas said that Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on the 12th resulted in the death of three detainees.
The Israeli army's continued air and artillery strikes on Rafah and the surrounding area have sparked waves of panic, and local residents are very worried about their safety, but they have nowhere to flee. In recent days, dozens of homeless people who had fled northern Gaza to Rafah have taken refuge in the country.
Nahla Jarwan, a resident of Gaza, said she was afraid of having to leave Rafah and head to the coastal refugee camps where she had stayed earlier, "moving from one area to another......No matter where we go, there is no safety at all. ”
Rafah shares a border with Egypt, but Egypt** has made it clear that refugees will not be allowed to cross the border.
UNRWA Communications Commissioner Juliette Tuma said the agency had not been informed of any Israeli evacuation plans for Rafah and was not involved. "You're going to evacuate people to**? No part of the whole of Gaza is safe, and the north is devastated and uninhabitable. ”
According to data released by the Palestinian health department in the Gaza Strip on the 13th, the Israeli army's attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours have killed 133 people and injured 162. Since October 7 last year, Israel's military operations in Gaza have caused more than 280,000 Palestinians died, more than 680,000 people were injured. According to Israel, more than 1,400 Israeli people have died in the current round of clashes.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer.com, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized and shall not be allowed.