Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for cease-fire talks

A Hamas delegation, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, will arrive in Cairo on Saturday to receive updates from mediators on the latest Gaza cease-fire talks held in the Egyptian capital, according to a statement from the Palestinian group.

Two Egyptian security sources said that U.S. and Israeli delegations started on Thursday a new round of meetings in Cairo that lasted for two days aimed at resolving differences over a truce proposal.

Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq stated on Saturday that the group reaffirms its commitment to the agreement reached on July 2, based on U.S. President Joe Biden’s proposal, and expressed readiness to implement it.

In July, Hamas accepted a U.S. proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers and civilians, 16 days after the initial phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war, a senior Hamas source told Reuters.

Another senior official for the group, Mahmoud Mardawi, told Hamas-linked media that the delegation going to Cairo “does not mean Hamas will participate in the next round of talks.”

Egypt along with the U.S. and Qatar has been a mediator in months of stop-start negotiations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.