An Israeli delegation will take part in the latest round of negotiations in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce in the Gaza conflict and a hostage release deal, according to a government official.
The statement appears to be the first official confirmation that Israel will send a delegation to talks led by Qatar, Egypt and US expected to resume this week.
A Hamas official said yesterday that the terror group would be sending a delegation in response to an invitation extended by Egyptian mediators. It also reiterated its demands that any hostage release be conditioned on a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, along with the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to attend Sunday’s talks, along with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Among the Israeli officials expected to attend are Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.
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 253 hostages, mostly civilians, amid horrific acts of brutality and sexual assault.
It is believed that 129 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive.
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