Agencies
Gaza
Diplomatic efforts intensify to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as a Hamas delegation heads to Egypt after news reports suggest Israel may be considering a “sustainable” truce.
“A Hamas delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya will arrive in Egypt tomorrow (Monday) … and deliver the movement’s response” to an Israeli proposal during a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials, an unnamed Hamas official told AFP news agency.
“Hamas is open to discussing the new proposal positively,” another Hamas source is quoted as saying.
Mediator Egypt sent its own delegation to Israel last week to jump-start stalled negotiations even as fighting in the Gaza Strip rages.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been unsuccessfully trying to broker a new Gaza truce deal ever since a one-week halt to the fighting in November saw 80 Israeli captives exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Hamas on Saturday released another video showing hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, as officials in Israel and Riyadh speculated about possible progress on a ceasefire deal between the Palestinian group and Israel.
In the video, two hostages said they supported a deal between the Hamas and Israel’s government to release the remaining detainees being held in the Gaza Strip.
In the undated recording, one of the men said he had been in captivity for 202 days. Saturday marked 204 days since the mass killings and kidnappings in southern Israel on October 7.
The man said he regretted not being able to celebrate Passover with his family this year. The important Jewish holiday started on Monday evening.
The video was highly produced, showing short clips of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant interspersed with the hostages’ comments. The men spoke in Hebrew, but an Arabic translation accompanied their words.
The second hostage - a man who, according to Israeli media, also holds US citizenship - called in the video for demonstrations to continue in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the release of the hostages.
