Hamas leaders engaged in discussions with Egyptian security officials on Sunday, aiming to advance efforts for a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict, according to two sources from Hamas. Concurrently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with his security cabinet regarding the situation, as reported by two Israeli officials.

This visit by Hamas to Cairo marked their first since the United States announced on Wednesday its intention to renew collaborative efforts with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, which would also encompass a hostage agreement.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, expressed optimism about the likelihood of achieving a ceasefire and a hostage deal in Gaza. He noted that Hamas is currently isolated, with Hezbollah no longer engaged in combat alongside them, and their supporters in Iran and other regions distracted by different conflicts. Sullivan stated, “We may have a chance to make progress, but I cannot predict the exact timing… we have come close many times without success.”

Meanwhile, violence continued in the region, and the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) announced the suspension of aid deliveries through one crossing after armed groups in Gaza seized food from a truck convoy. Philippe Lazzarini of UNRWA remarked that this challenging decision comes at a time when hunger is escalating rapidly.

Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, according to medical sources, as Israeli forces maintained their bombardments throughout the enclave and destroyed homes in the northern area.

In the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of six individuals inside a residence, while another strike in Gaza City claimed the lives of three more, according to medical sources.

In Khan Younis, two children lost their lives when a missile struck a tent encampment, and an additional four fatalities were reported from an airstrike in Rafah, close to the Egyptian border, as per Reuters.

Residents reported that the military targeted clusters of homes in northern Gaza, specifically in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, where Israeli forces have been active since October.

Palestinians assert that Israel’s actions in the northern regions of the enclave are aimed at forcibly evacuating residents and conducting bombardments to establish a buffer zone. The Israeli military refutes this claim, stating that it is engaged in combat against Hamas.

The military reports that it has eliminated hundreds of Hamas militants in that area while also suffering approximately 30 soldier casualties in confrontations with Hamas fighters over the past two months, marking a significant loss. Hamas has not disclosed information regarding its own casualties.

AID

The suspension of aid deliveries through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing occurred nearly two weeks after a significant shipment was intercepted on the same route.

UNRWA’s Lazzarini emphasized that it is Israel’s duty “as the occupying power” to safeguard aid workers and supplies, noting that the humanitarian operation has become “unnecessarily impossible” due to what he described as Israeli restrictions.

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing aid transfers, contends that it is not obstructing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, asserting that there are no restrictions on civilian supplies and attributing delays to inefficiencies within the United Nations.

The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when militants affiliated with Hamas launched attacks on southern Israeli communities, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of over 250 individuals, as reported by Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have reportedly led to the deaths of more than 44,400 people and have displaced nearly the entire population of the enclave, according to officials in Gaza.

Extensive areas of the region are now in ruins. Hamas is advocating for a ceasefire to conclude the hostilities, while Israel maintains that the conflict will only cease with the complete dismantling of Hamas.

Additionally, prisoner advocacy organizations reported on Sunday that two Palestinian detainees from Gaza have died while in Israeli custody.