Middle East: Baerbock begins tour amid stalled Gaza talks

Hamas said Thursday there was no need for a revised cease-fire plan, arguing that Israel should agree to a US proposal that the Palestinian Islamist group had already accepted.

The United States is expected to present a new cease-fire proposal in the coming days aimed at breaking a deadlock between Hamas and Israel amid the war in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to thwart an agreement by insisting that Israel will not pull out of the Philadelphi corridor on southern Gaza's border with Egypt.

"We warn against falling into Netanyahu's trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people," the Hamas statement said.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Hamas was blocking progress. "We're trying to find some area to begin the negotiations," he said.

"They [Hamas] refuse to do that [... They said] there's nothing to talk about."

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU and the US, among others.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for the first leg of her Middle East tour.

Baerbock landed in Riyadh shortly before 2200 GMT/UTC Wednesday night and is set to meet with the country's foreign minister on Thursday morning.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said Baerbock and her Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, will discuss "the dramatic situation in the region."

The pair will also discuss strikes by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea — one of the world's most important shipping routes. 

Baerbock is then due to travel to Jordan to meet with the country's top diplomat to discuss coordinating humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, according to Berlin.

She is scheduled to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Friday. She then travels to the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported early Thursday that an Israeli drone strike had killed five men and wounded another in a car in Tubas in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it carried out "three targeted strikes on armed terrorists that posed a threat on the soldiers," without elaborating.

For more than a week, hundreds of Israeli forces have been carrying out the deadliest operation in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began.

The Israeli military has said militant groups in the West Bank have strengthened and carried out attacks against Israeli forces and civilians over the past year.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated her position that Israeli freedom can only be guaranteed if Palestinians live with security and dignity.

Negotiations to bring about a cease-fire ought to continue despite the added difficulty of Israel having recovered the bodies of six hostages killed in Gaza, she said in a statement.

"It is horrific that six further hostages have been murdered in captivity. The Hamas terrorists will stop at nothing, no matter how atrocious the act," Baerbock said before leaving for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. "That is why, as difficult as it is, all efforts must continue to be directed towards a humanitarian cease-fire leading to the hostages' release — and to an end to the dying. After all, there is no military solution either for Gaza or for the situation in the West Bank.

"The Palestinians have a right to live in security and dignity. Negotiations on a two-state solution are the only option for lasting peace," Baerbock added. "Those members of the Israeli government who call into question the two-state solution with their words and deeds are jeopardizing Israel's long-term security."

rm/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP, DPA)