Egyptian media reports ‘noticeable progress’ in Gaza ceasefire talks

Egyptian media reports “noticeable progress” in talks to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, with a delegation from the terror group currently in Cairo to discuss the current proposal with mediators.

A consensus has been reached over many of the disputed points, the Egyptian Al-Qahera news reports, without elaborating.

An Egyptian security source tells Reuters, “The results today will be different. We have reached an agreement over many points, and a few point remain.”

The report follows a statement from an unnamed senior Israeli official who downplayed reports of progress in Arab media, reiterating that Israel will not agree in any circumstance to end the war as part of a deal to release hostages.

Hamas has called for a complete end to the war and withdrawal of all Israel Defense Forces troops from Gaza, while Jerusalem insists it will go on to topple Hamas rule in the Strip, the primary stated aim of the IDF campaign there, after a pause in fighting to free the hostages.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.