Germany’s top diplomat has landed in Saudi Arabia on her 11th trip to the region since the war in Gaza began. Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it has carried out targeted strikes in the occupied West Bank.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has arrived in Riyadh for a series of talks on the volatile situation in the Middle East.
Baerbock is set to travel to Jordan, Israel and the occupied West Bank to push for cease-fire talks and the release of remaining hostages in Gaza.
Meanwhile, an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Tubas has reportedly killed at least five people, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Hamas, Israel remain at odds over cease-fire proposal
Hamas said Thursday there was no need for a revised cease-fire plan, arguing that Israel should agree to a US proposal that the Palestinian Islamist group had already accepted.
The United States is expected to present a new cease-fire proposal in the coming days aimed at breaking a deadlock between Hamas and Israel amid the war in Gaza.
In a statement, Hamas said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to thwart an agreement by insisting that Israel will not pull out of the Philadelphi corridor on southern Gaza’s border with Egypt.
“We warn against falling into Netanyahu’s trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people,” the Hamas statement said.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Hamas was blocking progress. “We’re trying to find some area to begin the negotiations,” he said.
“They [Hamas] refuse to do that [… They said] there’s nothing to talk about.”
Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU and the US, among others.
