By 
“The coincidence of this regional escalation with the lack of progress in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza increases the complexity of the situation and indicates the absence of Israeli political will to calm it down,” the statement said.
“It undercuts the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and put an end to the human suffering of the Palestinian people,” it added.
Qatar, Egypt and the US have repeatedly tried to clinch a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
No sign of progress
A final deal to halt more than nine months of war has been complicated by changes sought by Israel, sources have told Reuters, and there was no sign of progress at the latest round of talks in Rome on Sunday.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant stressed the importance of continuing to work towards reaching a deal to release the remaining 115 Israeli and foreign hostages in a phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Khaled Meshaal is tipped to be the new Hamas leader. He rose to global prominence in 1997 after Israeli agents injected him with poison in a botched assassination attempt on a street outside his office in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Comments