Gaza truce talks still deadlocked, date for Rafah offensive set

There has been no progress in securing a truce through negotiations in the Israel-Hamas conflict, a Hamas official said on Monday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date was set for a ground attack on Rafah, Gaza's last refuge for displaced Palestinians.

Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for talks that included Qatari and Egyptian mediators as well as CIA Director William Burns.

Taher al-Nunu, an adviser to the head of the political office of the Hamas, told Xinhua that "there is no progress in the negotiations until this moment, amidst Israel's persistence and attempts to sabotage all diplomatic efforts."

He explained that Hamas has clear demands for a ceasefire, which include ending the Israeli aggression, allowing the return of displaced persons to Gaza City and the northern sector without restrictions, rebuilding the region, and ending the siege.

The Hamas official stressed that no agreement will be reached until the demands are met.

Three stages in new proposal

Palestinian sources told Xinhua that the mediators presented a new proposal in the latest round of talks for a ceasefire in three stages.

According to Palestinian sources, the proposal includes, in the first stage, the return of displaced civilians in Gaza to the northern sector without specifying their numbers.

Furthermore, the proposal entails Israel's agreement to open the Rashid and Salah al-Din streets, move its forces 500 meters away from them, permit the daily entry of 500 aid trucks to all areas of the Gaza Strip, and release 900 prisoners, including 100 serving life sentences.

The second stage involves the release of all Israeli prisoners and the finalization of negotiations for a lasting peace.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not agree with this proposal, while most members of the Israeli war cabinet supported it.

Date for ground attack on Rafah set 

Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel has set the date for a ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah.

He did not say when the offensive would take place, but said that "the victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there."

"It will happen—there is a date," he said in a video statement.

The United Nations and aid experts have been warning that any military operation in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city where about 1.4 million people have been seeking refuge from bombardments elsewhere, will exact an unacceptably high toll on Gaza.

Some 33,207 Palestinians have been killed in six months of conflict, Gaza's health ministry said in an update on Monday. Most of the enclave's 2.3 million people are homeless and many are at risk of famine.

Gaza still hungry as aid trickles in before Eid festival

Israel's military assault in the past six months has pushed Gaza to the brink of famine, aid agencies say, though some more aid is starting to flow in.

Palestinians in Gaza said the extra supplies were still nowhere near enough to ease harsh conditions, with nearly all the inhabitants of the tiny, crowded territory displaced from their homes.

Eid al-Fitr, the feast that ends Islam's fasting lunar month of Ramadan, is expected in Gaza on Wednesday, depending on a clear sighting of the moon, but there is little to cheer for Palestinians this year.

Palestinians stood in long lines and presented identity papers in return for boxes containing canned food at a UN distribution center in the town of Deir al-Balah.

"There isn't enough food. I hadn't received a box in two months. Yesterday we got a box that won't be enough for me or my kids and the other 18 people with us. If one person got a box every day, it wouldn't be enough," said Fayez Abdelhadi in the camp.

International pressure on Israel to let more aid into Gaza increased last week after airstrikes targeted a relief convoy and killed seven aid workers. In response to the pressure, Israel said it had approved the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel to bring in supplies.

(With input from agencies)