GAZA: Israel faced growing international pressure on Tuesday to agree to a ceasefire with Palestinians
CIA Director William Burns met with Mossad chief David Barnea in Cairo on Tuesday for a new round of talks on a Qatari-brokered ceasefire proposal, which would temporarily halt fighting in exchange for freeing captives.
The two intelligence chiefs were joined in Cairo by the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian officials, Egypt's Al Qahera News reported — two countries in the middle of mediation efforts as ceasefire proposals bounce back and forth between the two sides
The meeting came after the United States and the United Nations warned Israel against carrying out a ground offensive into Rafah without a plan to protect civilians.
After White House talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday, US President Joe Biden said civilians in Rafah "need to be protected".
"Many people there have been displaced — displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north, and now they're packed into Rafah — exposed and vulnerable," he said.
Other countries urged caution on a ground assault, including China, Germany and Norway.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday there were "too many victims" in Gaza, saying Israel's assault on the Palestinian territory following the unprecedented attacks was "disproportionate".
The United States has angered some Middle East allies by repeatedly refusing to back a full ceasefire, with Washington saying it supports Israel's drive to eradicate Palestinian groups and calling for shorter pauses with captive-prisoner swaps instead.
Over half of Gaza's 2.4 million people have sought refuge in Rafah, pressed up against the Egypt border in makeshift camps where they face outbreaks of hepatitis and diarrhoea, and a scarcity of food and water. Some families, already displaced several times, were starting to dismantle tents and gather their belongings to flee once again.
The UN's human rights chief Volker Turk warned "an extremely high number of civilians" would likely be killed or injured in an Israeli incursion into Rafah, which could also spell the end of the "meagre" humanitarian aid entering Gaza. — AFP
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