Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will send a delegation to Rome for talks aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hamas.
The Israeli prime minister’s comments came on Friday during a visit to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a day after he discussed ceasefire efforts with US President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris, in Washington.
After his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu said that Israel would send negotiators “probably at the beginning of the week” to talks in Rome.
He said that there was “some movement” on ceasefire efforts “because of the military pressure we exerted”.
However, he said that “I think to the extent that Hamas understands that there’s no daylight between Israel and the United States, that it expedites the deal,” he said. “And I hope that those [Harris’s] comments don’t change that.”
The Biden administration said Israel and the US were closing “gaps” on the issue. Harris, the presumptive Democrat presidential candidate, however said that she would “not be silent” on the “tragedy” and the “suffering” of Gazan civilians as she called for all parties to reach an agreement.
“It is time for this war to end and end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination,” Harris said.
Hamas invaded southern Israel on 7 October last year, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, and taking 251 people hostage. Many remain in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry says that more than 39,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military response in Gaza.
The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and several Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes. All reject the allegations.
The Rome talks are the latest in a series of initiatives to end the war. The US is sending the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, to meet representatives from Qatar, Egypt and Israel. The talks are scheduled to begin on Sunday.
They will discuss a deal to end hostilities and return hostages still held in Gaza.
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