Israel's war on the Gaza Strip entered its seventh month on Sunday as US and other negotiators were expected to join the protagonists in Cairo in a renewed push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Egypt's Al-Qahera News said CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani would join Egyptian mediators for Sunday's indirect talks between the Israeli and Hamas delegations.
Hamas confirmed ahead of the talks that its core demands were a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israel also said on Sunday that four of its commandos had been killed after Palestinian fighters ambushed them in Khan Younis, while UNICEF said that 600,000 children in Rafah, where most of Gaza's population has fled to, are living in hunger and fear amid a planned Israeli ground attack on the city.
