DaysofPal – A senior Hamas delegation, headed by the movement’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Tuesday evening for talks with Egyptian officials on the latest developments in Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as the situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the meetings will focus on halting Israel’s assault, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, and ending the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. He praised Egypt’s role in addressing Palestinian issues and described relations between Hamas and Cairo as strong and ongoing.
A Palestinian source told Agence France-Presse that mediators are working on a new proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire. The plan under discussion could involve a 60-day truce, followed by negotiations for a long-term agreement, alongside a single, all-inclusive exchange of prisoners, both Israeli and Palestinian, living and deceased.
However, a Hamas official confirmed to the agency that the movement has not yet received any new proposal through mediators. He reiterated that Hamas remains ready to reach an agreement if Israel decides to do so but stressed the group’s demands: a permanent end to the war, a complete lifting of the blockade, and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas broke down on July 24 after Israel rejected Hamas’s demands for a military withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the war, the release of Palestinian detainees, and a new mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported divisions within Israel’s negotiating team over the likelihood of progress toward a prisoner exchange and ceasefire. Mediators are expected to intensify pressure on both sides in the coming days to return to the table.
The talks are being mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with backing from the United States, Israel’s closest ally. Hamas has consistently stated that it is willing to release all Israeli captives at once in exchange for an end to what it calls the “war of extermination,” an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian detainees.
Opposition parties and the families of Israeli captives accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of avoiding a comprehensive deal in order to prolong the war, fearing his coalition could collapse if its most hardline members, who oppose ending the conflict, withdraw their support.
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