Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya arrives in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire talks

By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hamas announced Sunday that a delegation from its leadership headed by Khalil al-Hayya, the Palestinian group’s exiled Gaza chief, has arrived in Egypt to begin negotiations on a ceasefire in the besieged enclave.

“The delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt to begin talks on mechanisms for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a prisoner exchange,” the group said in a statement.

It did not specify the duration of the visit or the details of the agenda, but the new round of talks comes amid intensifying regional and international efforts to end the nearly two-year-long Israeli war on Gaza.

Israel said earlier that a negotiating team will depart for Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday for indirect prisoner exchange talks with Hamas under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan which includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and rebuilding of Gaza.

Hamas has agreed to the plan in principle, and talks for the next steps are due in Egypt.

The Israeli army has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.