Israel Sends Delegation to Cairo for Gaza Cease-Fire Talks

Israel is ready to send a delegation to Cairo in the coming days to discuss a halt in fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Egyptian officials said Tuesday, as Arab mediators push militant group Hamas to accept cease-fire terms before an impending military operation in Rafah.

Israel has said the proposal is the last chance to delay a planned offensive on the southern Gazan city of Rafah that its officials hope would destroy the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s remaining military units. An Israeli official said that preparations for a Rafah offensive are continuing.

Hamas wants the cease-fire to include a pathway to a permanent end to the fighting, an aim at odds with Israel’s ultimate goal of taking out the group’s military capabilities.

Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would operate to destroy Hamas’s battalions in Rafah “with or without a deal,” echoing comments he has made in recent weeks.

Blinken said Monday that the U.S. couldn’t support a major military operation in Rafah without a plan to protect civilians, which he said Israel hasn’t yet provided.