Hamas chief in Cairo as momentum builds towards new ceasefire talks
Al Jazeera
Ismail Haniyeh’s trip comes as Israel signals possibility of another truce, although key sticking points remain.
The head of Hamas’s political bureau has arrived in Cairo for talks on the Gaza war, as hopes grow that the Palestinian group and Israel could agree terms for another ceasefire.
Ismail Haniyeh arrived in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday to meet with Cairo’s spy chief and other Egyptian officials, who are acting as key mediators. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have indicated in talks with US and Qatari representatives that Tel Aviv could be open to a truce deal.
Haniyeh planned to discuss “stopping the aggression” in Gaza, a Hamas source told the AFP news agency. The world is pressing both Israel and the Palestinian group to agree terms to halt the bombardment in Gaza, which after 10 weeks of devastating Israeli attacks has killed nearly 20,000 people, including 7,729 children, and left 1.9 million displaced and in need of water, food and medicine.
During a truce that ran from November 24 to December 1, international agencies were able to ship in desperately needed aid. Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas returned 100 Israelis and others taken captive during its attacks on October 7, which killed around 1,200 and sparked Israel’s vicious retaliation on the enclave.
Hamas took a total of 240 Israeli captives in an unprecedented assault on Israeli territory on October 7 that also killed 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, Israel says, kicking off the current war.
