In a recent escalation of violence, three IDF soldiers were killed and at least three others seriously wounded after Hamas fired ten rockets toward the Kerem Shalom area along the Israel-Gaza border on Sunday afternoon. The three slain soldiers were identified as St.-Sgt. Ruben Marc Mordechai Assouline, 19, from Ra'anana; St.-Sgt. Ido Testa, 19, from Jerusalem; and St.-Sgt. Tal Shavit, 21, from Kfar Giladi.
Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing but have hit an impasse as mediators struggle to bridge the remaining gaps. The failure to reach a deal means Palestinians in Gaza will not experience an immediate reprieve and families of hostages will have to wait longer for the freedom of their loved ones. The main obstacle in the talks has been the duration of a cease-fire, with Hamas demanding it be permanent and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel expressing openness to only a temporary halt in the fighting.
Hamas blamed the lack of progress on Mr. Netanyahu, who vowed again in recent days that the Israeli army will invade Rafah, the southernmost town in the Gaza Strip, with or without an agreement. A Hamas delegation left talks in Cairo after stalling and no breakthrough was achieved.
Israel did not send a delegation to the talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday that “we see signs that Hamas does not intend to go to any agreement.” Egyptian state media reported that the Hamas delegation left Cairo for discussions in Qatar, where the group has a political office, after submitting its response to a proposal to mediators and will return to Egypt for further negotiations on Tuesday.
As cease-fire negotiations continue with no breakthrough in sight, some U.S. officials view them as the last chance to avoid a return to all-out war in Gaza.
