From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Senior Hamas official says terror group told Egypt it’s ready to stop fighting if Israel commits to truce
A senior Hamas official tells AFP that the terror group told Egyptian officials it was ready to stop fighting in Gaza if Israel committed to a ceasefire deal.
The official says a Hamas delegation discussed “ideas and proposals” related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo earlier today.
Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV cites sources that the delegation to Cairo, headed by chief negotiator and deputy Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, met with the head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad.
“Hamas has expressed readiness to stop the fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced people, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal, and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the official says, adding that the talks in Cairo were part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to resume ceasefire negotiations.
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 terror group launched its brutal onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The report comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Egypt’s willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier today, Qatar and Washington’s top diplomats said that American 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 Times of Israel Community.