CIA's Burns To Meet w/Netanyahu Following Cairo Ceasefire Talks

Reuters is reporting that CIA Director William Burns will travel to Israel later today for talks with PM Benjamin Netanyahu following the conclusion of the latest round of ceasefire talks in Cairo. According to two Egyptian sources, "all five delegations participating in ceasefire talks on Tuesday - Hamas, Israel, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar - reacted positively to the resumption of negotiations, and meetings were expected to continue on Wednesday morning...."

• A potential impediment to a ceasefire deal remains the nascent Israeli ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. On 7 May, Israeli forces seized control of the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt, an act - combined with aerial bombardment - seen as a precursor to a potential wider IDF operation.
• The US has warned against a ground assault without a plan to avoid civilian casulaties, and the Reuters article reports on Washington pausing the supply of some powerful ordnance to Israel in an effort to dissuade a wider assault.
• Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated on 7 May that “We affirm that the military operation in Rafah, if carried out by Israel, will not be a picnic for the [Israeli] army,” implying that no ceasefire would be agreed to while such an operation took place, and that Hamas forces would engage the IDF in the city.