Israel, Hamas Denies Reports Of Brief Ceasefire  In Gaza

By
Rhoda Gistlover
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Arab foreign ministers to meet Wednesday on Gaza-Israel War Following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, the Arab League announced that its foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to discuss "Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip." As Israel continues to pound targets in Gaza in the wake of Saturday's attack, the "extraordinary meeting" in Egypt's capital city of Cairo will look for "avenues of political action at the Arab and international level," according to a statement from Arab League deputy secretary general Hossam Zaki. In response to the most recent Israeli escalation, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday asked the Arab League to convene an urgent ministerial-level meeting. The ministry stated in a statement that it had instructed "its permanent delegation to the Arab League to request an emergency meeting of the League Council at the ministerial level. ". The agreement was made in response to "the escalation of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," it said. On Sunday, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry demanded an emergency meeting of the Arab League at the level of the Arab foreign ministers for "consultation and coordination on the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip and the emergence of military actions targeting civilians. ". The Arab League's Cairo headquarters will host the meeting this week, and the ministry said extensive consultations are already under way. After the Al-Aqsa Mosque was stormed and settler violence increased, Hamas announced Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday. It claimed to have shot rockets and taken many Israelis hostage. In the attack, at least 350 Israelis were killed and more than 1,860 were hurt, and several soldiers and civilians were taken prisoner by Hamas and returned to Gaza. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israel responded with a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip that resulted in at least 313 Palestinian fatalities and close to 2,000 injuries.

On Monday, the offices of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Hamas all dismissed rumors that there would be a brief lull in hostilities in Gaza to allow for the entry and exit of foreigners at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, “there is currently no ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for removing foreigners.”

Izzat El Reshiq, a representative of Hamas, also claimed that rumors concerning the opening of the Rafah border crossing or a brief ceasefire were untrue, according to CBS.

CBS

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