Israeli delegation arrives in Cairo to discuss hostage swap deal with Hamas

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli delegation on Thursday arrived in Egypt’s capital Cairo to participate in negotiations for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage swap deal with Hamas, the state-run broadcasting authority KAN reported.

“An Israeli security delegation arrived in Cairo with the aim of continuing negotiations for a hostage swap deal,” KAN said on X.

The public broadcaster did not specify whether the delegation included the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet but described it as a “working delegation.”

As of yet, there has been no comment from the US, Egypt, Qatar, or Hamas regarding the matter.

The latest round of mediated negotiations ended on Aug. 16 in Doha, Qatar, with the US presenting the parties with what the White House described as a "final bridging proposal" that it put on the table for Israel and Hamas, claiming it is consistent with the principles supported by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

The details of the proposal remain shrouded in secrecy.

But Hamas has since rejected the proposal, saying it aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new conditions.

It said the "proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction, the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor."

The Palestinian group was referring to two strips of land in Gaza, one of which was recently built by Israel and divides the coastal territory into a northern and southern section. The Philadelphi Corridor follows the Gaza-Egypt border. The Rafah border crossing sits along the Philadelphi Corridor.

Hamas has long insisted on the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the permanent end to the war as part of any cease-fire deal. But Netanyahu has dismissed the conditions, maintaining his troops will remain in Gaza for as long as he deems necessary.

“He (Netanyahu) also set new conditions in the hostage swap file and retracted from other terms, which obstructs the completion of the deal,” Hamas added.

The group reiterated its commitment to what it agreed in July based on a plan for a cease-fire that Biden publicly laid out in May, and which a UN Security Council resolution endorsed in June.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. However, mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul