Egypt pushing Gaza ceasefire as Israel battles Hamas efforts to regroup

The Israel Defense Forces said troops spotted a terrorist preparing to launch rockets at Israel from a building near a weapons depot. Working quickly, troops encircled the area and killed the terrorists while destroying the depot and the rockets.

The Egyptian delegation is hoping to capitalize on a two-month ceasefire in Lebanon to secure a truce in Gaza. After the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect on Wednesday morning, Hamas signaled it was ready to negotiate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the ceasefire with Hezbollah would isolate Hamas and push it to cut a deal.

US, Qatari and Egyptian efforts to negotiate a resolution to the nearly 14-month-long war and return the 101 hostages held by Hamas failed.

Hamas's demands include a complete end to the war, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Strip, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Israel insists it will only agree to a temporary ceasefire. Reports suggest that Hamas would be given a period of time to provide negotiators with a list of living hostages, while the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen under Palestinian Authority supervision.

Egypt is looking to raise its profile by negotiating the ceasefire after Qatar dropped its mediation efforts and kicked Hamas out of the country in mid-November.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014. (ANI/TPS)