Hamas delegation heads to Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks

A Hamas delegation headed by its senior official Khalil al-Hayya will arrive in Cairo on Saturday to hear from mediators on the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks that took place in the Egyptian capital, the Palestinian group said in a statement.

Two Egyptian security sources said that US and Israeli delegations started on Thursday, a new round of meetings in Cairo that lasted for two days aimed at resolving differences over a truce proposal.

Hamas affirmed its "commitment to what it had approved on July 2 which was based on the US President Joe Biden's proposal and readiness to implement it," senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said on Saturday.

In July, Hamas accepted a US proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men, 16 days after the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war, a senior Hamas source has told Reuters.

Another senior official for the group, Mahmoud Mardawi, said that the delegation going to Cairo "does not mean Hamas will participate in the next round of talks."

Egypt along with the United States and Qatar has been a mediator in months of stop-start negotiations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The conflict escalated when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israel's response, according to Palestinian health authorities.