Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza this week appear to have been "dashed".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to send a delegation to Cairo for follow-up talks aimed at securing a ceasefire with Hamas, again describing Hamas's demands as "whimsical".
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the 14th, saying that the negotiations on achieving a ceasefire with Hamas held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on the 13th have not made progress. Israel insisted that Hamas change its position before taking a further role in the negotiations. The latter insisted that Israel withdraw its troops from Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages, a possibility that Netanyahu explicitly ruled out.
Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has also called for the release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including those convicted of ** and other violent crimes.
An Israeli delegation led by D**id Barnea, the head of the intelligence agency, ended talks in Egypt on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister's office said
Netanyahu insisted that Israel would not give in to Hamas's unrealistic demands and that a change in Hamas's position would allow the negotiations to move forward. ”Israel's position is indicative of the growing concern of the international community for the fate of the more than 1 million Palestinian refugees who have taken refuge in the southern Gaza city of RafahA ceasefire, even a temporary one, remains a distant prospect.
In addition, the IDF announced on the afternoon of the 14th local timeA "widespread" air campaign is being launched against targets in Lebanon。On the morning of the 14th local time, Safed and other places in northern Israel were attacked by rockets, injuring at least 8 people. Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said after the incident that it was time to "move Allah from the border area."
Biden recently criticized Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip as "excessive".This is also his most severe accusation against the Israeli side since the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In this regard, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell said on the 12th that the United States should reduce military aid to Israel, and he also said that the United States' criticism of Israel should not just stay in words.
However, according to US media reports,U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not intend to put the foreign military aid bill previously passed by the Senate to a vote in the House of Representatives
It is reported that the US Senate voted to pass a foreign military aid bill worth $95 billion in the early morning of the 13th, which mainly involves huge military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Biden issued a statement urging the House of Representatives to pass the bill as soon as possible. But Johnson said the U.S. needs to first take strict measures to stop illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. across the Mexican border before it can address Ukraine's security concerns.
According to foreign media reports, Netanyahu initially refused to send an Israeli delegation to the talks, but eventually agreed under pressure from Biden. Hamas captured some 250 people when it attacked Israel on 7 October last year, more than 130 of whom remain in Gaza. In a statement, the Hostage Families Forum said it was "appalled by Israel's decision to obstruct the Cairo talks."