CAIRO: Egyptian mediators and Hamas have reached a consensus on several issues regarding a potential ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian media reported on Saturday.
Egypt’s Al-Qahera News TV channel quoted an unnamed senior official as saying that a Hamas delegation had arrived in Cairo to discuss the terms of an Egypt-proposed initiative for a ceasefire with Israel.
Earlier in the day, two Egyptian sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity the Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday “with the intention of concluding and implementing a truce agreement with Israel.”
The Hamas delegation’s visit came after the Gaza-ruling movement got Egypt’s guarantees that the deal could lead to a ceasefire in the besieged enclave, the sources said.
Egypt has warned Hamas of the potential escalation of tensions in Gaza should they fail to reach an agreement, according to the sources.
It has been reported that William Burns, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, is scheduled to visit Egypt. The visit is part of the efforts by the tripartite guarantors of the ceasefire deal, which include Egypt, the United States, and Qatar.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, following Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
The ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, and wounded over 77,800 others, according to Gaza health authorities. The attacks also led to massive destruction of homes and infrastructure in Gaza.
Hamas said on Friday it was sending a delegation to Cairo to discuss a deal for a truce and the release of hostages in Gaza, hours after U.S. CIA Director William Burns arrived in the Egyptian capital, according to Egyptian sources.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been leading efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to broker a deal for a ceasefire in the conflict that began on Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, the Hamas and CIA officials will meet Egyptian mediators on Saturday, an Egyptian security source said, though it was unclear whether they would meet separately or together.
Hamas said its delegates were traveling to Cairo in a “positive spirit” after studying the latest proposal for a truce agreement.
“We are determined to secure an agreement in a way that fulfils Palestinians’ demands,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
A U.S. official said the United States believed there had been some progress in talks but was still waiting to hear more.
The CIA declined to comment, reflecting its policy of not disclosing the director’s travel.
Ceasefire talks have continued for months without a decisive breakthrough. Israel has said it is determined to eliminate Hamas, while Hamas says it wants a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Egypt made a renewed push to revive negotiations late last month. Cairo is alarmed by the prospect of an Israeli ground operation against Hamas in Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than 1 million people have taken shelter near the border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian sources say both sides have made some concessions recently, leading to progress in the talks, though Israel has continued to say an operation in Rafah is imminent.
The war began after Hamas staged a cross-border raid on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people in southern Israel were killed and 253 hostages taken, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 77,000 have been wounded by Israeli fire during a campaign that has laid waste to the coastal enclave, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
A major Israeli operation in Rafah could deal a huge blow to fragile humanitarian operations in Gaza and put many more lives at risk, according to U.N. officials.
