00:00Hamas announced on Friday its intention to send a delegation to Cairo to discuss a potential
00:07hostages-for-truce agreement with Israel.
00:11This development coincided with the arrival of US CIA Director William Burns in the Egyptian
00:16capital, as reported by the Egyptian sources.
00:19Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been actively mediating between Israel
00:24and Hamas, aiming to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, which escalated following
00:29Hamas' devastating attack on October 7.
00:32According to an Egyptian security source, Hamas and CIA representatives are scheduled
00:36to meet Egyptian mediators on Saturday.
00:39However, it remains unclear whether these meetings will be held separately or together.
00:44Hamas expressed its delegation's positive outlook towards the discussions after reviewing
00:49the latest truce proposal, affirming its determination to secure an agreement that meets Palestinian
00:55demands.
00:56While the US has acknowledged some progress in the negotiations, the CIA declined to comment,
01:01adhering to its policy of not disclosing the director's travel details.
01:06Despite ongoing talks, no decisive breakthrough has been achieved.
01:10Israel maintains its commitment to neutralizing Hamas, while Hamas seeks a permanent ceasefire
01:15and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
01:18The Biden administration has attributed the lack of an agreement to Hamas' obstruction.
01:23Regarding the delegation's purpose, a Palestinian source revealed that it would not present
01:27Hamas' response to the current proposal, but would rather engage in further negotiations,
01:32reiterating Hamas' key condition for an agreement.
01:35These conditions primarily include an Israeli commitment to end the conflict initiated by
01:39the October 7 attack, led by senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya.
01:43The delegation also includes Zahir Jabarin and Ghazi Hamad.
01:48Negotiations center on the release of hostages, with Israel seeking the release of 33 individuals,
01:53while Hamas may only agree to release 20 in specified categories.
01:57A report by The Wall Street Journal mentioned Israel's ultimatum to Hamas, giving the group
02:01one week to agree to hostage deal.
02:03Failure to comply could lead to Israel launching its long-anticipated offensive in Rafah, Gaza's
02:09southernmost city.
02:11Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to invade Rafah in recent months,
02:16claiming the invasion was imminent.
02:18The October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals
02:22in southern Israel, according to Israeli estimates.
02:25The Israeli army reported over 600 soldiers killed in combat since then.
02:30Additionally, Gaza's health ministry documented at least 34,000 Palestinian fatalities and
02:35over 77,000 injuries caused by Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
02:48For more information on Israel and its region visit our website at WWW.TV7ISRAELNEWS.COM
Comments