Egypt's security officials, Hamas leaders meet on Gaza ceasefire talks

Cairo (The Uttam Hindu): High-ranking Egyptian security officials met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks, the Egyptian Press Centre reported.The meeting aimed to discuss the current events in the Gaza Strip and the means to overcome the obstacles to achieving calm in the enclave. According to the report, the meeting came amid the Egyptian efforts to resume the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

Several rounds of talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza have been held in Doha and Cairo over the past months. However, these efforts have not resulted in an agreement to conclude the conflict that has lasted for more than a year. Egypt and Qatar have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting that began when the Palestinian militant group launched attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV said later on Thursday citing sources that a Hamas delegation, headed by chief negotiator and deputy Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo to meet with the head of the general intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he welcomed Egypt's willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. Earlier on Thursday, Qatar and Washington's top diplomats said that US and Israeli negotiators would gather in Doha in the coming days to try to restart talks toward a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,847, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.