The fresh strikes come as ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are said to be “on the brink of collapse”, with no clear alternative in sight, sources told Politico.
The deal on the table, presented by Washington following a two-day summit in Doha last week, is the “strongest form of the deal to date” because it includes terms that are “tailored to the demands of both Hamas and Israel”, two US and two Israeli officials said.
“We don’t know if [the Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar wants this deal. But if we don’t get the deal there’s a chance that Iran attacks and this escalates into a full-blown confrontation,” said one official familiar with Israel’s stance on negotiations.
While the talks are set to resume in Cairo on Thursday and Friday, an Israeli official told The Telegraph that might be postponed to next week.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is facing internal criticism for issuing public statements about sensitive issues still being negotiated on, such as his insistence that Israel continue to control the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Egypt and Gaza.
“Maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line,” a US official told Axios.
Hamas has so far rejected the American ceasefire proposal outright, claiming it adds Israeli demands that were not included in the outline first presented by Joe Biden, the US president, in May.