Cairo is hosting another round of ceasefire talks: CIA head William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani are in Cairo today to meet with intelligence chief Abbas Kamel for ceasefire and hostage negotiations, a number of media outlets have reported, citing unnamed US and Israeli officials.

An agreement on the horizon? It’s hoped that the Barnea’s presence signals that Israel is still open to negotiations, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of Hamas’ ceasefire proposal last week. “The discussions have been constructive and there’s willingness to compromise,” a diplomat briefed on the talks told the Financial Times. “Barnea wouldn’t be going to the talks unless he had the go-ahead.”

Biden is pushing for a six-week ceasefire, which would give time for negotiators to “build something more enduring,” the US President said during a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah, Reuters reported.

But stumbling blocks remain: Egypt said that “provocative” comments made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were sabotaging efforts for a ceasefire negotiation, revealing an “intention to kill and destroy.” Smotrich had reportedly said that Egypt “bears considerable responsibility for what happened on 7 October”, claiming that Hamas had smuggled weapons through the Egyptian border.

ON GROUND-

Israel continues its attacks on Rafah, killing over 100 and injuring hundreds others, Sky News wrote. Israel says it has freed two Israeli-Argentine hostages in the latest round of attacks.

Further criticism: Israel should “think very seriously” before taking further action in Rafah, the UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron told reporters yesterday. “We think it is impossible to see how you can fight a war amongst these people. There's nowhere for them to go," he added.

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