Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to fight deeper into Gaza after his troops endured one of the worst days of losses of their ground war, while terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad joined talks in Cairo, a sign diplomacy was still alive.
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The arrival of a delegation in Cairo headed by PIJ's exiled leader Ziad al-Nakhlala followed talks attended by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in recent days. PIJ while smaller than Hamas, is also holding hostages in Gaza.
The terrorist groups have so far said they will not discuss any release of hostages unless Israel ends its war in Gaza, while the Israelis say they are willing to discuss only a temporary pause in fighting. But neither side has publicly walked away from talks that Washington last week described as "very serious", even as fighting has intensified throughout the Gaza Strip since a truce collapsed at the start of December.
The Cairo talks would center on "ways to end the Israeli aggression on our people", said a PIJ official. The delegation will reaffirm the group's position that any exchange of hostages will have to secure the release of all Palestinians jailed in Israel, "after a ceasefire is achieved", the official said.
Video: Iran's navy shows off new cruise missiles amid growing regional tension / Credit: X/@israelipm
Hamas and PIJ, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are still believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct. 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
After a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the enclave.
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