Israeli Strikes Hit Gaza During Cairo Truce Talks
Israeli strikes killed at least four people, including children, across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials said, even as Hamas met Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo to discuss a possible truce. Israel signalled it would not accept an emerging plan for Hamas to disarm, and vowed to keep its forces in Gaza until the group is fully demilitarised. The talks were the most substantive in weeks.
The renewed diplomacy, overshadowed by the wider war with Iran, offered a slim hope of pausing a conflict that has ground on for months. But the gap between the sides remained wide: Hamas has resisted laying down its arms without a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel insists on demilitarisation first. The casualty figures, from Gaza’s health authorities, could not be independently verified. For Gaza’s people, the strikes were a reminder that talks have yet to translate into calm. Watch whether the Cairo track produces even a temporary ceasefire.