Egyptian sources: Gaza talks in Cairo have ended without any agreement

Reuters is informed by two Egyptian security sources that the talks ended on Sunday.

They were about a possible ceasefire and the release of hostages. High-ranking representatives from Israel and the United States attended. A Hamas delegation was in Cairo for a briefing but returned home on Sunday evening. They did not participate directly in the negotiations.

The White House claimed as recently as Friday that there was progress in the negotiations. On Sunday evening, the Biden administration’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan says that the US is still working in Cairo to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas stated earlier on Sunday that it would not accept what it describes as new demands from Israel, and that it will stick to the proposed ceasefire agreement from 2 July.

Furthermore, Sullivan said that the US is concerned that the conflict will escalate into a regional war, and that the Biden administration is in ongoing communication with Israel about the conflict with Hezbollah.

The spiral of violence between Israel and Hezbollah took a new, dramatic turn on Sunday. Israel carried out extensive “preemptive strikes” in Lebanon on the night of Sunday and claimed that Hezbollah was preparing a major attack. They say they deployed around 100 planes and destroyed “thousands” of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

For its part, Hezbollah has said that the movement has attacked with over 320 rockets and drones against targets in Israel.