Hamas-Israel Ceasefire Talks Delayed Until Mid-November

The next round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas that were scheduled for the present time were delayed by host Egypt because of its own security problems in the northern Sinai Peninsula. Last summer’s 50-day war ended with an agreement to discuss the respective sides’ demands after a month long cooling-off period. The next round was to have begun on Monday, but the escalating violence by Islamists in the Sinai prompted the closing of the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip and is distracting the attention of the Egyptian interlocutors. Cairo made the decision following an attack on a military checkpoint at Al-Arish that killed 30 army officers.