Hamas halts negotiations; Egypt urges restraint

Amid civilian evacuations in Rafah and a mortar attack on the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, resulting in the death of four Israeli soldiers, Hamas has declared a suspension in negotiations. This announcement was relayed by the Qatari publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing a source close to the talks.

The source disclosed that the Hamas leadership opted to halt truce negotiations. Additionally, the return of the negotiating team to Cairo has been postponed pending updates from the mediators.

Egypt has urged both Israel and Hamas to prevent further escalation and maintain control over the situation.

"We urge Israel to exercise utmost restraint during this critical moment to avert civilian casualties in the face of a humanitarian crisis," stated Egypt's Foreign Ministry. The ministry underscored its continuous, around-the-clock communication with all parties to mitigate the situation.