CAIRO
\nThe Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Friday that efforts to find a Gaza Strip truce deal were back at square one after Israel effectively spurned a plan from international mediators, and the White House said it was trying to keep the sides engaged \u201cif only virtually.\u201d
\nHamas said in a statement it would consult with other Palestinian factions on its strategy for talks to halt seven months of war triggered by its deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
\nHours earlier, the United Nations warned that aid for Gaza could grind to a halt in days after Israel seized control this week of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a vital route for supplies to the devastated Palestinian enclave.
\nDespite heavy U.S. pressure, Israel has said it will proceed with an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced people have sought refuge and Israeli forces say Hamas militants are dug in.
\nIsraeli tanks captured the main road dividing the eastern and western sections of Rafah, effectively encircling the eastern part of the city in an assault that has caused Washington to hold up delivery of some military aid.
\nThe White House said that it was watching \u201cwith concern,\u201d but the Israeli operations appeared to be localized around the shuttered Rafah crossing and did not reflect a large-scale invasion.
\n\u201cOnce again, we urge the Israelis to open up that crossing to humanitarian assistance immediately,\u201d said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
\nIsrael\u2019s plan for an all-out assault on Rafah has ignited one of the biggest rifts in generations with its main ally. Washington held up a weapons shipment over fears of massive civilian casualties.
\nIn a report to Congress, President Joe Biden\u2019s administration on Friday said it was reasonable to assess that Israel had used U.S. arms in instances \u201cinconsistent\u201d with international humanitarian law.
\nHowever, the administration said it still found credible and reliable Israel\u2019s assurances that it will use U.S. weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law.
\nIndirect diplomacy has failed to end a war that health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed almost 35,000 people since the Oct. 7 attack. Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 253 taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies.
\nCeasefire talks in Cairo broke up on Thursday with no agreement.
\nHamas had said it agreed at the start of the week to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators that had previously been accepted by Israel. Israel said the Hamas proposal contained elements it cannot accept.
\n\u201cIsrael\u2019s rejection of the mediators\u2019 proposal through the amendments it made returned things to the first square,\u201d Hamas said in Friday\u2019s statement.
\n\u201cIn the light of (Israel Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu\u2019s behaviour and rejection of the mediators\u2019 document and the attack on Rafah and the occupation of the crossing, the leadership of the movement will hold consultations with the brotherly leaders of the Palestinian factions to review our negotiation strategy.\u201d
\n\u201cHamas did not suspend nor withdraw from the negotiations; the occupation (Israelis) turned against the mediators\u2019 proposal,\u201d a senior Hamas official, Khalil Al-Hayya, said in comments to Al Araby TV published by Hamas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CAIRO The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Friday that efforts to find a Gaza Strip truce deal were back at square one after Israel effectively spurned a plan from international mediators, and the White House said it was trying to keep the sides engaged \u201cif only virtually.\u201d Hamas said in a statement it would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-406405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n