The Israeli delegation includes officials from the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and Shin Bet security agency, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Israeli troops have pulled back to the edges of Gaza, the first hostages have been released and many Palestinians have returned to what remains of their homes in the first few days of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

Israeli officials attempted to downplay reports of the Palestinian Authorities’ role in Gaza and the possibility of a two-state solution that would help normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.

Rafah was home to over a million Palestinians displaced from the Israel-Hamas war. Now, Palestinians in Gaza wade through rubble to see what remains.

Israel said it will maintain control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas. A statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday denied reports that the Palestinian Authority would control the crossing.

Footage from a drive from Rafah to Khan Younis shows the scale of destruction in the Gaza Strip as Palestinians confront an apocalyptic landscape of devastation after a ceasefire paused more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Were it just about any other country than Israel committing such a genocide, Washington would have cut off arms shipments months ago.

While some Palestinians were able to dig up miscellaneous items deep under the rubble, many felt hopeless after dreaming about the possibility of returning to their homes and repairing or rebuilding them.

Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denied a report in a Saudi-owned news outlet that it agreed to allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take control of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel will maintain control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza during the initial ceasefire phase with Hamas. The Palestinian Authority will not manage the crossing, and vetted Palestinians will stamp passports.

Following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas, Gazans are finally returning home. But, after 15 months of war, many residential neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble.