Report: Hamas delegation set to visit Cairo, Doha, possibly signaling interest in restarting negotiations

As Israel continues to prepare for its operation to take over Gaza City, Channel 12 reports that its negotiating teams may nevertheless return to indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar and Egypt.

The news outlet reports that a delegation of Hamas officials based in Turkey is expected to depart for Cairo and Doha in the coming days, leading mediators to believe that ceasefire and hostage deal talks will be able to resume after they ground to a halt last month.

The mediators expect that this time around, both sides will be able to compromise on their demands enough to reach an agreement that all parties find acceptable, it says.

According to the report, the deputy head of the Shin Bet, identified only as “Mem,” told a recent security cabinet meeting that he believes Hamas is becoming more flexible in its demands, due to Israel’s successes in Operation “Gideon’s Chariots.”

“Returning to negotiations is a likely scenario,” he is said to have told the cabinet.

Channel 12 acknowledges, however, that some cabinet members believe Mem’s expectations are too high, and that Hamas is nowhere even close to being ready to return to the negotiating table.