Egyptian press reports progress in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza; Israel downplays

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) —

A delegation from the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “remarkable progress” in ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel. For his part, an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for an end to the war.

Pressure has been mounting to reach a deal — the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening dramatically as Israel insists it will launch an offensive on Rafah, the city at the southern end of the enclave.

There is a lot at stake to end the war, which has already lasted almost seven months. More than 1 million Palestinians are sheltered in Rafah, which borders Egypt, many of them having fled northern Gaza, where, according to a senior UN official, a full-blown famine has been declared.

In recent days, Egyptian and American mediators have reported signs that a compromise is being reached, but the likelihood of a ceasefire remains intertwined with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of ending Hamas.

Egypt’s state news outlet Al-Qahera reported Saturday that a consensus had been reached on many of the points in dispute, but gave no further details. Hamas has called for a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.

The war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. In addition, it has caused widespread destruction and plunged the territory into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The conflict erupted on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, taking about 250 people hostage and killing 1,200 more, most of them civilians. Israel said fighters still hold about 100 people hostage and the remains of more than 30.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, downplayed prospects for a complete end to the war. The official affirmed that Israel is committed to the invasion of Rafah and told The Associated Press that it will not agree under any circumstances to end the war as part of an agreement to free the hostages.

Israeli strikes early Saturday in Gaza killed at least six people. Three bodies were recovered from the rubble of a building in Rafah and taken to Yousef Al Najjar Hospital. An attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza also killed three people, according to hospital officials.

In the last 24 hours, the bodies of 32 people who lost their lives due to Israeli attacks have been transferred to local hospitals, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Saturday. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its counts, but says women and children account for around two-thirds of the dead.

The Israeli military said it had killed 13,000 fighters, without providing evidence to support its claim.