Israel to send delegation to Egypt for ceasefire agreement: Netanyahu’s Office

CAIRO – 6 May 2024: Israel will send a delegation to continue the indirect discussions on reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel's core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office.

The Hamas movement informed the Egyptian and Qatari mediators of the movement’s approval of the Egyptian proposal on a ceasefire agreement in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel, which is still bombing the civilians in the besieged strip, received the Hamas’ approval and will consider its response.

In a statement, the movement announced that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, made a phone call with Egyptian Minister of Intelligence Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, informing them the Hamas' approval of the proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement.

The movement’s approval came after intensified efforts made by Egypt and other international parties to contain the situation and prevent escalation of the war when the Israeli army called on residents east of Rafah city in the Gaza Strip to evacuate the area immediately ahead of a ground offensive against the city.

The Hamas delegation will return to Cairo in few hours to resume the talks on implementing the Egyptian proposal.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said he is closely following up on the positive developments in the ongoing negotiations regarding reaching a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

“I am closely following the positive developments pertinent to the ongoing negotiations to reach a comprehensive truce in the Gaza Strip. I call on all parties to exert more efforts to reach an agreement that will end the humanitarian tragedy from which the Palestinian people are suffering and finalize the exchange of hostages and prisoners,” said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on his official Facebook page on Monday evening.

According to Al Qahera News, the Egyptian proposal entails the release of 20-40 captives currently held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners serving lengthy sentences or who are elderly.

Hamas leaders told media that the proposal would be implemented in three phases. The proposal includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes in the north and the center of the strip, and an exchange of prisoners.

The proposal includes in its second phase the direct announcement of a permanent cessation of military and hostile operations. The leaders added that US President Joe Biden is clearly committed to ensuring the implementation of the agreement.

A high-level source to Al Qahera News that the Egyptian security delegation confirmed receiving positive responses from Hamas and Israel and is intensifying its contacts to deescalate the situation.

The terms of the agreement proposal between Hamas and Israel will be in three stages and includes a prisoner swap deal and a humanitarian truce, the source added.