Gaza war: Hamas wraps up negotiations in Cairo

The Palestinian movement, Hamas, said it has officially concluded the latest round of negotiations in Cairo, which focused mainly on a prisoner swap agreement.

Led by Yahya Sinwar’s deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, the Palestinian delegation engaged with Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel during the discussions.

In a statement released Sunday evening, the movement declared the end of negotiations in Cairo and revealed plans for the delegation to return to Doha for consultations with the group’s leadership after which they will provide a final response to the Egyptian proposal within two days.

According to a source, during the two-day talks in Cairo, Hamas delegation engaged with Egyptian security officials to address various issues hindering progress towards a Gaza ceasefire and a prisoner exchange with Israel, confirming that significant consensus has been achieved between the delegation and the Egyptian mediators.

The Egyptian proposal, comprising three stages, aims to facilitate the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, establish a ceasefire, and restore sustainable calm to the region.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Political Bureau chief of Hamas, reaffirmed the movement’s commitment to reaching a comprehensive negotiation to end the conflict in Gaza, facilitate the return of displaced individuals, intensify relief efforts, initiate reconstruction, and finalize the prisoner exchange deal.

Meanwhile, Israel is yet to provide an official response to the proposal of the Palestinian movement demanding an immediate halt to the conflict and insists on continuing until it perceives the movement as defeated.

Reports say the Israel security cabinet is convening at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, while Egypt expects a response from Israel to Hamas’s statement by Monday.