A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported noticeable progress in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Pressure has mounted to reach a deal halting the nearly 7-month-long war. A top UN official says there is now a full-blown famine in northern Gaza, while Israel insists it will launch an offensive into Rafah, the territory’s southernmost city on the border with Egypt, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days, but chances for a cease-fire deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas.
Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News TV channel said Saturday that a consensus had been reached over many disputed points but did not elaborate. Hamas has called for a complete end to the war and withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.
The conflict erupted on October 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israeli strikes early Saturday on Gaza killed at least six people. In the last 24 hours, the bodies of 32 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday.
The United Nations has warned that hundreds of thousands would be at imminent risk of death if Israel moves forward into the densely packed city of Rafah, which is also a critical entry point for humanitarian aid. The director of the UN World Food Program, Cindy McCain, said a cease-fire and a greatly increased flow of aid through land and sea routes was essential.