jordan pulse -
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Friday that it will send a delegation to Cairo to discuss a proposed truce agreement and the release of detainees in Gaza, hours after the arrival of the CIA Director William Burns to the Egyptian capital, according to Egyptian sources.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, is leading mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement in the conflict that began on October 7th last year.
An Egyptian security source mentioned that the Egyptian mediators will meet with the Hamas delegation and the CIA officials on Saturday, but it was not clear whether the meetings would be held with each side separately or with both sides together.
Hamas stated that its delegation is traveling to Cairo “with a positive spirit” after reviewing the latest proposal to reach a ceasefire.
Hamas added, “We are determined to mature the agreement, which achieves our people’s demands to completely stop the aggression, withdraw the occupation forces, return the displaced, provide relief to our people, start reconstruction, and accomplish a serious exchange deal.”
A U.S. official said that the United States believes some progress has been made in the talks but is still waiting to hear more.
The CIA declined to comment, reflecting its policy of not disclosing Burns’ visit.
The talks aimed at a ceasefire have been ongoing for months without achieving a significant breakthrough. Israel says it is determined to eliminate Hamas, while Hamas says it wants a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Egypt renewed its efforts to revive negotiations late last month. Cairo is concerned about the possibility of Israel carrying out a ground operation against Hamas in Rafah, south of the sector, where more than a million people are sheltering near the border with Egypt.
Egyptian sources say that both sides have made some concessions recently, leading to progress in the talks, but Israel still says that the planned operation in Rafah is imminent.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza says that at least 34,000 Palestinians have been martyred and more than 77,000 others injured due to the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip since October 7th.
A major Israeli military operation in Rafah could deal a strong blow to humanitarian operations that face many obstacles, in addition to endangering the lives of many people, according to UN officials.