Israeli team heads to Cairo

Israel’s delegation to the ceasefire talks in Cairo is only departing Israel in about in hour, despite a series of reports to the contrary in the last day or so. The delegation is headed by senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad, and includes two other senior officers, Arab sources tell The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu’s trusted aide Yitzhak Molcho is not part of the delegation, again despite reports to the contrary.

Reports claiming that the Israeli delegation has been in Cairo since yesterday are incorrect, the sources say.

Initially at least, the discussions will focus on extending the ceasefire, due to expire on Friday morning, for another 48-72 hours.

— Avi Issacharoff