China News Service, Beijing, February 9th Comprehensive news: Egypt's official Al-Ahram Online website quoted a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on the 8th that on the morning of the 8th local time, senior Hamas leader Khalil Ha Khalil Al-Hayya led a delegation to Cairo, the Egyptian capital, to continue discussions on the ceasefire issue.
According to Qatar's "New Arab" report, the Hamas delegation met with the Director of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamal that night to discuss Israel's response to the agreement on the exchange of detained persons proposed in Paris, France. An Egyptian source revealed that the talks lasted about four hours. At the end of the talks, both sides agreed to continue consultations thereafter.
According to the report, Egyptian officials will also make recommendations to the Hamas delegation on the post-war moratorium in the Gaza Strip and exchange views with all Palestinian parties in an effort to unify the parties' views on basic issues.
Recently, Hamas put forward a proposal for a three-phase ceasefire plan in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected this on the 7th and ordered the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for operations in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
A Rafah resident told the Times of Israel that Israel launched air strikes in parts of Rafah on the morning of the 8th, attacking two houses and killing at least 11 people. According to reports, parts of eastern Rafah also came under tank shelling, exacerbating residents' concerns about an imminent ground attack.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, said on the 8th that he has not yet discovered any plans for Israel to launch any large-scale operations in Rafah. But he said the Israeli military had a special obligation when conducting operations in Rafah or elsewhere to ensure it took into account the protection of innocent civilian lives.
According to CNN reports, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated at a press conference on the 8th that the United States will not support Israel’s military operations in Rafah “without serious planning.” "To carry out such an operation now, without planning and adequate thought, in an area that provides shelter to 1 million people, would be a disaster," Patel said.
According to Agence France-Presse, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said on the 8th that any attempt to replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is impossible. He said no organization had a "meaningful presence" in Gaza like UNRWA.
Recently, 12 UNRWA employees were accused of participating in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. As a result, many European and American countries suspended funding to the United Nations agency.
Reports say Guterres has held key talks with donor countries to discuss resuming funding.
According to the Times of Israel report, Israel launched a drone attack in southern Lebanon on the 8th, killing two Hezbollah members. Hezbollah then fired at least 30 rockets into Israel. At present, no casualties reported. (over)