Egypt says working on 60-day Gaza ceasefire; US pressure to end Gaza war increases
\n Gaza
\nIsrael carried out dozens of air strikes on Gaza on Monday, targeting Gaza City and its eastern districts, after ordering fresh evacuations, which have raised concerns of a renewed offensive.
\nAt least 27 Palestinians were killed across the enclave, including 10 people seeking food aid who were struck while gathering near a distribution warehouse in Gaza City\u2019s Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to Gaza health officials.
\nAl-Ahli Hospital confirmed the deaths and said others were wounded in the blast.
\nPeople collect their belongings from the rubble at Yafa School after the Israeli attack. Photo: Anadolu Agency
\nTwo more Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed near an aid distribution point in southern Rafah, medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex told Al Jazeera.
\nAmong the buildings hit was the Yafa School in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, which was destroyed in a direct strike. The school had also been sheltering displaced families, according to local sources.
\nCeasefire in Gaza
\nIsraeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is visiting Washington, DC on Monday, is expected to face pressure to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to reports in the Israeli press.
\nThe Times of Israel cited sources as saying that the remaining sticking points in achieving a ceasefire include the Palestinian group Hamas\u2019s demand for a permanent end to the war, as opposed to Israel\u2019s efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire that leaves open the option for it to resume fighting.
\nThey also said that Hamas is demanding a return to old mechanisms for distributing humanitarian aid or the establishment of a new system to replace the current one managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a proposition backed by Arab mediators.
\nIsrael says GHF, an Israeli and US-backed private mechanism, is essential in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas, but it has forced Gazans to walk long distances in order to pick up food while also crossing Israeli army lines, coming under deadly fire on a near-daily basis, the Times of Israel reported.
\nIsrael\u2019s Haaretz newspaper, citing senior White House officials, reported that senior officials from US President Donald Trump\u2019s team will pressure Dermer to reach an agreement on \u201cending the attacks on Gaza and returning the remaining prisoners\u201d.
\nIt was also reported that US officials would tell Dermer that Israel\u2019s insistence on \u201celiminating Hamas\u201d would be left for the future.
\nMoreover, Egypt\u2019s foreign minister said Sunday evening that his country is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re working toward a durable solution and a permanent ceasefire,\u201d Badr Abdelatty said in a televised interview with the local OnTV television.
\nHe said the proposal is a joint effort by Egypt, Qatar and the US and represents \u201ca first step\u201d toward a sustainable ceasefire.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s on the table now is a 60-day truce in exchange for the release of a number of Israeli hostages and the swift delivery of aid to Gaza, including medical supplies,\u201d he added.
\nThis move, the top diplomat said, \u201cwould create momentum to move toward a lasting ceasefire, eventually leading to the implementation of the Jan. 19 agreement\u201d.
\n\u201cThere is an American vision and understanding of the importance of including guarantees in any upcoming agreement to ensure the sustainability of a ceasefire,\u201d he said.
\nEgypt, Qatar and the US brokered on January 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Egypt says working on 60-day Gaza ceasefire; US pressure to end Gaza war increases Gaza Israel carried out dozens of air strikes on Gaza on Monday, targeting Gaza City and its eastern districts, after ordering fresh evacuations, which have raised concerns of a renewed offensive. At least 27 Palestinians were killed across the enclave, including […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-487664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n