US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser is in Israel to push for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Jake Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday afternoon.
Israeli forces continue their military operations in Gaza, including in Rafah, the southernmost city. Hundreds of thousands have evacuated following an order from Israeli forces. Sullivan aims to dissuade Israel from launching a full-scale assault on Rafah. The US has warned it might stop supplying some weapons if Israel launches a major ground offensive there.
However, an Israeli official stated that Netanyahu and his senior aides will try to convince Sullivan that a push into Rafah is necessary.
On Sunday, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza reported at least 20 people killed and several wounded in a missile strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The Israeli army said it was verifying these reports and noted that two soldiers were killed in the south on Saturday.
Previous discussions about a potential ceasefire have been unsuccessful. Earlier this month, Hamas supported a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators, but Israel said the proposal Hamas agreed to was not the same as the one it had accepted. Israel also rejected a proposal for a permanent ceasefire, stating that releasing bodies instead of hostages was unacceptable.
Israel began its military campaign in Gaza following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel last year, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 252 hostages taken. Since then, more than 35,456 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry run by Hamas.