Egypt Daily News – An Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo for talks to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release detainees, according to Israeli media reports.
The Walla news website, citing two sources familiar with the details, reported that the head of the Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, and the coordinator of the Israeli government’s operations in the Palestinian territories, Ghassan Alyan, will hold meetings with the intelligence chief. Egyptian, Abbas Kamel, and senior military officials.
The discussions, according to the Times of Israel, will focus on liberating the hostages, in addition to security issues related to the border between Egypt and Gaza, according to the Israeli newspaper.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that an Israeli delegation would be sent to Cairo in the next two days.
His office added, “The negotiating team for the hostage agreement will leave for Cairo on Saturday or Sunday evening,” according to Reuters.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters in response to the Israeli announcement: “Netanyahu does not want to stop the war, and he is using these empty announcements to cover up his crimes and attempts to escape their repercussions.”
It is expected that the talks will resume for the first time since the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, at dawn on Wednesday, in a raid that Iran attributed to Israel.
Israel refused to comment on its involvement in the strike in Iran.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on “all parties” in the Middle East to stop “escalatory actions” and reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, after Haniyeh’s killing.
According to Axios, the departure of the Israeli negotiating delegation to Cairo comes as a result of American pressure on Israel and Egypt to complete the negotiations.
In a “tough” call on Thursday, President Biden secretly called on Netanyahu to stop escalating tensions in the region and move immediately toward a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, according to what two American officials told the site.
The Biden administration has placed the hostage deal and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the heart of its entire strategy for the post-war phase in the Middle East, according to the source, who indicated that “Biden is personally involved in the efforts to reach an agreement and sees it as an essential element of his legacy during the six months remaining in office.” “.
