A Hamas official stated on Monday that no advancements were achieved during a fresh session of a Gaza ceasefire discussion that was held in Cairo. This update came shortly after Egyptian sources had indicated progress in the negotiations that also included delegations from Israel, Qatar, and the US.
“There is no change in the position of the occupation and therefore, there is nothing new in the Cairo talks,” the Hamas official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters.
On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz characterized the Cairo negotiations as the closest the parties had been to reaching an agreement since the November ceasefire when Hamas released 112 living hostages.
Egypt’s Al-Qahira Al-Ihbariya TV also reported, citing a government official, that significant progress had been made at the Cairo talks and the parties had reached consensus on a few major issues.
On Sunday, Hamas declared that its representatives had held discussions with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate, in Cairo. Hamas’s primary requests encompass a comprehensive ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, unrestricted humanitarian aid access, commencement of reconstruction efforts in the enclave, and negotiation of a prisoner exchange deal aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for security prisoners held by Israel.
Now everything appears to be hanging in the air again.
