The Islamist Hamas organization announced that Egyptian attempts to broker a long-lasting ceasefire with Israel have come to a halt. The declaration came despite ‘voiced optimism,’ after a senior Egyptian intelligence delegation met with the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, in attempts to reach understandings regarding reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority and establish a truce arrangement with Jerusalem. Senior Israeli security officials voiced pessimism about these Egyptian efforts. To the contrary, the Israeli security establishment is reportedly gearing up for escalation following heightened tensions on Israel’s frontier with the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave.
