After failed talks: Egypt and US want Israel and Hamas to ‘show flexibility’ | RTL News

The latest round of negotiations this week in Cairo did not lead to a breakthrough.

Encourage parties

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had called his American counterpart Antony Blinken about a solution.

Both agreed on “the importance of urging the parties to show flexibility and make all necessary efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and end the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.”

‘Delicate phase’

According to the ministry, the negotiations have entered a ‘delicate phase’. Egypt fears that a major Israeli invasion of Rafah will endanger the “stability and security” of the region.

The Israeli government has been threatening such an operation in the city of more than 1.4 million people for months. Rafah is located in the south of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt.

Israel said it would continue the military operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip after the collapsed negotiations. Israel has said it is open to a ceasefire but rejects demands for a permanent ceasefire.

Fewer weapons delivered

By continuing the attacks on Rafah and the rest of the Gaza Strip, Israel runs the risk of losing arms supplies. Yesterday, US President Joe Biden said the United States would stop arms deliveries to Israel if it continued the siege of Rafah.

And now Germany also seems to be considering stopping the supply of arms to the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a video message, saying that Israel would resist “tooth and nail” even if the country were to stand alone.

Netanyahu also indicated that it is impossible to defeat Hamas without capturing Rafah.