by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Top US officials are in Cairo with senior Israeli and Egyptian security officials to discuss a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of around 120 hostages taken by Hamas from Israel to Gaza during the October 7 massacre, Axios reports.
CIA director Bill Burns and Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, arrived in the Egyptian capital on Monday. Israel’s delegation of senior officials headed by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar also arrived in Cairo on Monday.
Among the key issues being discussed in Cairo are Egypt-Gaza border security arrangements and the reopening of the Rafah crossing. These issues are understood to be central to a potential hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday that Israel will not tolerate any smuggling of weapons to Hamas from the Egypt-Gaza border.
Another central issue to be discussed is how to block Hamas terrorists from returning to terrorist operations in Gaza once a deal has been reached.
Once the talks in Cairo have concluded, McGurk is expected to travel to Israel for talks with PM Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Burns will travel to Qatar to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, the director of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea, for further talks on the hostage-ceasefire deal.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimates that Hezbollah’s firepower has been reduced to 30% of its original strength since October 8 of last year, when the terrorist organization began launching rockets into northern Israel. Since the ground operation in Lebanon began in September, the IDF has killed approximately 1,200 Hezbollah terrorists, raising the total to around 2,000 since the start of the war.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton are each expected to surpass $50 billion in damages, placing them among the most destructive storms in history alongside Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Monday that the U.S. military has swiftly deployed its advanced THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system to Israel, where it is now “in place” and ready to supplement Israel’s robust missile defense network.
Caught in the crosshairs of the raging civil war in Sudan, a group of male Christian refugees were arbitrarily arrested and detained by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Military Intelligence unit in Shendi, River Nile State, between October 12-13, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports.
Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) announced last week that Hurricane Milton caused an estimated $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion in damages to the state’s crops and agricultural infrastructure, Reuters reports. Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on October 9, storming through 51 counties, 34 of which were declared disaster areas, wreaking devastation through fierce winds and flooding.
The US-based evangelistic Luis Palau Association partnered with 4,900 churches to hold a three-day Gospel festival in Zambia that reached nearly half a million people, Christian Daily International.
A large coalition of churches has launched a new initiative to share the Gospel across Australia as the number of Australians who identify as Christians is declining at a significant rate, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports. A network of more than 260 churches, the Reach Australia association hopes to plant 300 churches nationwide by 2030.