Cease-Fire Talks Intensify In Cairo As Israel Prepares For Rafah Operations, Evacuation Of Civilians

Efforts to broker a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip continued on Tuesday as Israeli forces prepared for operations in the southern city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.

Bill Burns, the director of the CIA was in Cairo on Tuesday to meet with his Israeli counterpart, Mossad Chief David Barnea, along with Egyptian and Qatari officials to discuss the seemingly deadlocked cease-fire and hostage release plan that was drafted nearly two weeks ago.

Last week, Hamas responded to the proposals by demanding the release of around 1,500 Palestinian detainees from Israeli custody, a condition that Israel’s leaders have declined.

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Moving Forward, But Slowly

One senior official who spoke to CNN said the while the talks were “nudging forward” a deal was still far from close to being agreed upon.

However, the U.K.’s Daily Express said that its source — a former Israeli intelligence official Ali Melamed — had suggested that the pressure on both parties increased the odds of an agreement being reached within the next few days.

Indeed, members of the hostages’ families urged negotiators to remain in Cairo until a deal could be struck.

In a statement directed at Barnea, the Hostages And Missing Families Forum said: “Do not return until everyone comes home — the living and the dead.”

The statement continued: “The eyes of 134 hostages are upon you. This is a once-in-a-lifetime mission and you have the ability to rescue 134 captives… We implore you in every way possible: Do not give up and do not return without a deal.”

Some analysts suggested that the presence of Barnea at the talks was a positive sign in itself — that he wouldn’t have attended if not sanctioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously dismissed attempts to cease the fighting until Hamas was defeated.

Israel’s Plans To Evacuate Rafah Civilians

President Joe Biden said Israel “should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety” of more than a million Palestinians sheltering in the southern city, close to the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.

U.K. foreign secretary David Cameron also condemned the planned military offensive: “Israel must stop and think before going ahead with any operations in Rafah. The people who are in Rafah, on many occasions, have already moved three, four or five times, and it's not possible to move again.”

Germany, meanwhile, has called on Israel to set up “safe corridors” for civilians in Rafah before it launches any incursion against Hamas in Rafah.

In response, Israel is taking steps to ensure the safety of Rafah residents and has formulated a civilian evacuation strategy for coastal areas.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the strategy includes setting up 15 locations with 25,000 tents each, stretching from the southern tip of Gaza City to the Al Mawasi region, just north of Rafah.

The plan was recently shared with Egypt, according to the report.

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