UPDATES WITH DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK
By Tarek Chouiref and Rania Abu Shamala
ISTANBUL (AA) – A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for consultations on a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian media said.
The state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel, citing Egyptian sources, said the delegation, headed by senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, will hold talks with Egyptian mediators on the proposal, which comes as Israel pushes ahead with a phased reoccupation strategy approved by its Security Cabinet last week.
Under the Israeli plan, the first stage would force around 1 million residents out of Gaza City to the south, encircle the city, and launch incursions into residential areas. A second stage would involve seizing central refugee camps, many of which have already suffered widespread destruction during the war.
The Hamas delegation’s visit comes after a period of deadlock in the ceasefire negotiations “since the withdrawal of the Israeli and the US delegations from the ceasefire talks in Doha last month,” the sources said.
“There are intensive Egyptian efforts and contacts with all parties to overcome differences in order to reach a temporary truce in Gaza,” the sources said.
According to the sources, the Cairo talks are “discussing reaching a 60-day truce” in Gaza.
“The talks aim to once again push towards resuming the negotiations and making progress towards reaching a cease-fire agreement,” they added.
The sources said the new ceasefire push comes in parallel with Egyptian efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.
Early Tuesday, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said that Israeli negotiators are divided over the possibility of making progress in talks to reach a prisoner swap and cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
KAN reported that the Hamas delegation in Cairo is discussing “a new initiative that includes a comprehensive deal to release 50 Israelis (both captives and bodies) in exchange for the disarmament of the movement.”
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the report.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Monday that Cairo, working in coordination with Qatar and the US, is seeking a “comprehensive agreement” that would halt the Israeli war and secure a full deal between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group.
“There is still a chance to reach a complete agreement if goodwill and political will exist,” Abdelatty told a press conference in Cairo, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and severely restricting humanitarian aid, pushing the enclave into famine.
Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 victims since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.