Multiple media outlets are reporting that high-level officials from Israel and other related countries will hold talks in France on the 23rd in order to negotiate a cessation of the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas and the release of hostages.
Amid the lack of progress in negotiations, it is expected that the two sides will discuss new proposals to Hamas.
“High-level officials from Israel and other related countries will hold talks in France” multiple media outlets
The Israeli military is reportedly continuing heavy airstrikes on Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, on a daily basis, and health officials in the Gaza Strip announced on the 22nd that 97 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours. The death toll so far has reached 29,410.
The Israeli military says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold, and remains prepared to carry out ground operations despite strong concerns from the international community.
Under these circumstances, multiple Israeli media reported that high-ranking Israeli government officials visited Paris, France on the 23rd in preparation for negotiations for a cessation of fighting and the release of hostages, which are being conducted with Qatar and other mediators as intermediaries. I told them we would discuss it.
American media has also reported that Director Burns of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) will be visiting France on the 23rd.
Several senior Biden administration officials have said that they hope to conclude negotiations between Israel and Hamas and achieve a cessation of fighting by the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around the 10th of next month. Amid the lack of progress, it is expected that they will discuss new proposals for Hamas.
1 Israeli killed, 8 injured in West Bank shooting
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, three men opened fire on a highway near a Jewish settlement on the 22nd, killing one Israeli and injuring eight others.
Local media have said the three men are Palestinians living near Bethlehem, and tensions are rising in the West Bank as well.