The director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns mentioned it was nonetheless doable to achieve a cease-fire for Gaza, whereas pointing to difficult points.
“I think there’s still the possibility of such a deal. And as I said, it won’t be for lack of trying on our part, working very closely with our Israeli, Qatari, and Egyptian counterparts. This is a very tough process. I don’t think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is that the alternatives are worse,” he advised a House of Representatives listening to.
Meanwhile, Qatar mentioned Tuesday that efforts had been nonetheless ongoing to achieve a truce deal between Hamas and Israel within the Gaza Strip.
“All of us were pushing towards a deal before the beginning of Ramadan, however, that didn’t deter us from continuing the work and negotiations to reach a deal,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari advised a media briefing.
Recent days noticed marathon talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to achieve a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel earlier than the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Monday.
The talks, nevertheless, did not make any breakthrough as Tel Aviv rejected calls for by Hamas to finish Israel’s lethal offensive on Gaza and withdraw from the enclave in return for any settlement.
Israel has additionally imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its inhabitants, notably residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of hunger.
The Israeli warfare has pushed 85% of Gaza’s inhabitants into inner displacement amid a crippling blockade of most meals, clear water, and drugs, whereas 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been broken or destroyed, in keeping with the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide on the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to cease genocidal acts and take measures to ensure that humanitarian help is offered to civilians in Gaza.
Source: www.dailysabah.com