Report: Israeli delegation travels to Cairo for cease-fire talks

A delegation of senior Israeli officials traveled to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss cease-fire options with Egyptian defense officials, according to Egyptian reports.

Egyptian newspaper Alyoum Alsabea reported that the delegation included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative attorney Isaac Molho, Shin Bet security agency chief Yoram Cohen and the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, Amos Gilad. The three were reportedly flown in on a private plane and taken to the Egyptian Defense Ministry office to begin talks.

A senior official in Cairo confirmed the report and added that representatives from another Arab country were also at the meeting, and that Palestinian officials were not invited and did not come.

According to the Egyptian official, the Palestinians would only be invited to Cairo once understandings have been reached with Israel about a cease-fire. He added that they are expected to arrive over the weekend.

Islamic Jihad's deputy chief Ziad Nahalla said Wednesday evening that "a cease-fire will only be reached after all our terms are realized, chief among them lifting the blockade."

Hamas has accused the Egyptians of deliberate foot-dragging in the talks. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhairi told Lebanese news channel Al Mayadeen: "Unfortunately, Cairo has made inviting the Palestinian delegation conditional on an immediate cease-fire. We are willing to discuss a cease-fire only after we receive a guarantee that our demands will be discussed."

Hamas political office member Izzat al-Rishq told Al Arabiya news network that before any negotiations begin, Palestinian organizations will want to know how committed Israel is to calming the military operation and what its stance is on the Hamas demands to lift the blockade and open the crossings.

Earlier Wednesday, the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet met and released a statement, saying, "The Israel Defense Forces will continue to forcefully attack Hamas and the terror organizations in Gaza and to neutralize the terror tunnels. This operation yields significant results in the field and hurts the strategic plans Hamas has been investing in for years.

"The IDF has made significant progress in destroying terror infrastructure, as well as hurting Hamas and other terror organizations. The IDF will continue to allow temporary humanitarian truces in areas where there is no fighting and without endangering the lives of soldiers or the work on the tunnels. The purpose of these truces is to help the civilian population in Gaza."

Government ministers are expected to meet Thursday at the Kirya Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv to be updated on the situation.

"We are continuing the military operation at full force," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said. "At the same time, we are moving forward with the terror tunnels and extracting a very high price from Hamas. Hamas has suffered many losses and lost a lot of properties. We are not limiting ourselves by time or by area and we are getting to every place where we know there are tunnels, even if it means going further into territories that we have not yet entered."

Former President Shimon Peres met Wednesday with Quartet representative Tony Blair. Peres said that the military operation had run its course, but added that "Israel will not compromise on the issue of the tunnels."

Peres' comments angered those on the Right, with Housing Minister Uri Ariel saying, "Peres' words lowered the morale of the soldiers fighting in Gaza."

MK Miri Regev (Likud) said, "Peres is the one who has run his course."

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