Gaza Ceasefire Talks Falter Ahead Of Biden SOTU

Wires carrying comments from a Hamas official suggesting that Israel's failure to meet conditions set by Hamas have further threatened the prospect of an extended truce and hostage exchange agreement which has been under negotiation for a number of weeks.

• Hamas official says, "during ceasefire negotiation, Israel prioritized its captives' issue while refusing conditions set by Palestinian factions," adding that, "Israel aimed to secure release of its hostages without agreeing to conditions set by movement."
• The talks have been on shaky ground for the past week with Israeli declining to send a delegation to the most recent round of talks in Cairo. Without a ceasefire agreement in place by the start of Ramadan on March 10, the risk of the conflict expanding to include regional non-state militant groups aligned with Hamas may increase.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today signalled his intention to proceed with a military operation on the city of Rafah, against advice from the US: "There is international pressure and it's growing, but... Whoever tells us not to act in Rafah is telling us to lose the war and that will not happen."
• President Biden had hoped to a unveil a ceasefire agreement at his State of the Union Address, this evening, to offset a major vulnerability in his progressive alliance. Instead Biden will announce that he is directing the US military to establish a maritime port in Gaza for the delivery of aid in the Strip. The initiative will take a "number of weeks" to plan and execute.