JERUSALEM/Xinhua
The Israeli army will continue its operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah “as planned” after truce talks between Israel and Hamas, held in Egypt, collapsed, it said Thursday. an Israeli official told Xinhua.
On the other hand, a Xinhua correspondent covering the events reported the massive presence of Israeli soldiers stationed on the border with Rafah.
The unnamed Israeli official confirmed that the Israeli delegation had left Cairo following talks with Hamas and negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar on an agreement to end hostilities and secure the release of hostages in Gaza.
The official did not detail whether or not Israel will expand the offensive to more areas of Rafah in the southern tip of Gaza, where around 1.2 million internally displaced Palestinians are refugees.
According to Israeli state channel Kan TV news, the talks were suspended due to Israel’s now ongoing ground incursion against Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is scheduled to meet later today to discuss continuing the operation in Rafah.
Regarding US President Joe Biden’s decision to pause some weapons shipments to Israel if it deepens its operation against the city of Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they have enough weapons to continue operations in Gaza .
“The IDF has weapons for the operations it is planning, including the operation in Rafah,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement. “We have what we need,” he emphasized.
“So far, the United States has provided security assistance to Israel and the IDF in an unprecedented way,” Hagari added, stressing that “even if there are disagreements between us, we will resolve them behind closed doors.”
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