The fate of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is "largely a question that is going to be answered" by the leader of the Palestinian militant group, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday.
A view of Gaza during sunset, Reuters/Ricardo Moraes
The fate of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is "largely a question that is going to be answered" by the leader of the Palestinian militant group, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday.
Cohen did not refer to Hamas' leader, Yahya Sinwar, by name. The Israelis were showing seriousness in the negotiations, Cohen told an intelligence and national security summit in Washington.
Mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been working to strike a deal between the sides and prevent a broader regional war.
On those efforts, Cohen said: "There may be episodes where people would step back from the brink, but I don't think anybody can be confident that that effort to control escalation is something that ... any party in that region" can control.
Reporting by Jonathan Landay
U.N. human rights experts criticised mostly Western states on Monday for continuing to support Israel despite what they described as a genocide in Gaza which might turn Israel into a "pariah" nation.
Reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Defence Minister Yoav Gallant shook the political landscape and sent Israeli financial markets lower on Monday.
Polio vaccination coverage in Gaza has reached 90%, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said on Monday, adding that the next step was to ensure hundreds of thousands of children got a second dose at the end of the month.
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