As Hamas goes to Egypt, where do the Gaza truce talks stand?

The negotiations might offer the last chance to stall – if not prevent – a looming Israeli ground offensive in Rafah.

A senior Hamas delegation is travelling to Egypt for the latest round of negotiations aimed at pausing – if not stopping – Israel’s relentless war on Gaza, even as the prospect of a devastating ground invasion of Rafah in the enclave’s south looms.

Led by Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the delegation will hand in the group’s response to the latest Israeli proposals at talks in Cairo mediated by Qatar and the United States.

Here’s what we know about the state of the talks and why they matter at a time when Israel’s war has already killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Hamas and Israeli officials have been speaking through intermediaries throughout April but with little to show for it in terms of tangible results.

Negotiators were in Cairo on April 7, and while Egyptian sources said some progress was made on a three-stage agreement that would entail an exchange of prisoners leading to a long-term ceasefire, the Palestinian group did not share that assessment.