"Austin told a US Senate hearing the Biden administration was concerned about Israel launching a major offensive in Rafah, without a plan to protect civilians there. Meanwhile, Israel continues to bombard the city. The army says it's conducting a limited operation to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle the group's remaining infrastructure.

For more on this, we talk to Hans-Jakob Schindler. He is the Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "We are close undoubtedly, but I'd like to add that a word of caution that we've been close before. It has frequently really been a problem that the leadership in Gaza of Hamas was not willing to accept the conditions of a deal that the Hamas leadership outside Gaza, for example in Qatar, was willing to accept." 

"Mr Issa is the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, according to the nonprofit and non-partisan international policy organisation Counter Extremism Project (CEP)."

"In 2011, Issa was reportedly involved in playing a role in the Gilad Shalit hostage-prisoner swap, where 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released for Gilad Shalit, among them Yahya Sinwar, the grand architect of October 7, according to the Counter Extremism Project."