- Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and leaders of Egypt and Jordan have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire.
- It comes after Hamas rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, despite reports suggesting talks had been progressing well
Hopes were raised over the weekend that a breakthrough could be on the horizon after Israel withdrew most of its troops from southern Gaza and sources within its government said Benjamin Netanyahu was “desperate” for a deal during talks in Cairo.
But these seem to have fizzled out after Mr Netanyahu declared a date had been set for an Israeli offensive in Rafah, and Hamas rejected the latest ceasefire proposal.
The militant group has said in an early morning statement that Israel’s proposal for a truce and hostage release deal does not meet any Palestinian demands.
“There is no change in the position of the occupation [Israel] and therefore, there is nothing new in the Cairo talks,” a Hamas official told Reuters news agency.
The group said it would still study the proposal but described it as “intransigent”.
CNN also reported the group had said Israel “remains stubborn and has not responded to any of the demands of our people and our resistance”.
It added it is “keen to reach an agreement that puts an end to the aggression against our people.”
Meanwhile, three world leaders have written a joint op-ed calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sissi made the joint statement in the Washington Post.
They said the war “must end now” and that the two-State solution was needed to bring peace to the Middle East.
French President Emmanuel MacronReuters
The two-State solution would see an independent Palestinian State established alongside the existing one of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory.
The leaders pointed to a resolution from the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire, and said this should be immediately and unconditionally implemented.
They also warned of the “dangerous” consequences of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, which they said would “only bring more death and suffering.”
Originally published in Sky News
