US President Joe Biden has confirmed “Israel’s readiness to move forward with the terms that have now been offered to Hamas,” and added that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are committed to “the full implementation of the entire agreement.”
Israel faced mounting international pressure on Tuesday to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, as it prepared for an incursion into Rafah, a southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.
CIA Director William Burns was scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday for new talks on a Qatari-mediated ceasefire, which would temporarily halt the fighting in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages.
His visit follows warnings from Washington and the United Nations to Israel against launching a ground offensive into Rafah without a plan to protect civilians, who report having no safe places to escape.
The deadly bombing of southern and central Gaza continues, with reports of Hamas fighters clashing with Israeli troops throughout the besieged city of Rafah.
Four more Israeli captives have been declared dead by the Israeli military, prompting family groups to call the announcement a “disgrace” and reiterate the need for an immediate truce.
In northern Israel, large swathes have been engulfed by wildfires ignited by Hezbollah rockets, with firefighters struggling to control the blazes.
Since October 7, at least 36,479 Palestinians have been killed and 82,777 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s attacks stands at at least 1,139, with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza.
