Gaza talks: Hamas in Egypt, Israel could send team to Qatar

A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas has arrived in Cairo to continue talks on securing a ceasefire in Gaza, where the death toll continues to rise due to Israel’s offensive and severe shortages of aid.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, would discuss with Egyptian officials the latest developments related to what he called the Gaza genocide, as well as the situation in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The talks "will focus on ways to stop the war on Gaza, allow the entry of aid, end the suffering of our people, address internal Palestinian relations to reach [a] national consensus on all political issues, and develop bilateral relations with our brothers in Egypt", Hamas said on its official Telegram channel Tuesday night.

The resumption of talks between Cairo and Hamas followed Turkish mediation after a recent visit by Hamas leaders to Ankara, sources told The New Arab's sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Hamas said the visit came at Egypt's invitation. Along with the US and Qatar, Cairo has so far failed to secure a breakthrough with Israel, which continues to impose tough conditions.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said earlier on Tuesday that his country, Washington, and Doha were working to revive a previous ceasefire proposal that would see a 60-day truce in Gaza. The deal would include the release of captives held in Gaza - Israel estimates around 50, including 20 believed to be alive - in exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

Israel's Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that Israel was considering sending a high-level delegation to Doha later this week for talks on a comprehensive agreement covering all issues, rather than a partial deal.

The report said this followed a meeting in Spain last weekend between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Israel’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insists a key condition for ending the war is dismantling Hamas’s military and governing structures in Gaza and preventing it from ruling the territory in the future.

Hamas has rejected this, saying Israeli forces must first end their offensive, withdraw from Gaza, and allow more aid into the enclave.

An Israeli cabinet plan approved a plan last week to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, which risks further complicating the talks.

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 61,600 people have been killed since 7 October 2023. They include at least 227 – about half of them children – who have died from hunger-related causes due to Israeli restrictions on aid.

Israel’s intensified military campaign has also killed hundreds in the West Bank, particularly in the north, while authorities continue to challenge the longstanding status quo at Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest site.

Israeli settlers, often led by extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, regularly enter the religious compound, provoking Muslim worshippers and triggering clashes, arrests, and casualties.