By Ibrahim Al-Khazen
CAIRO (AA) – The first day of a four-way meeting in Cairo attended by officials from Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and the US to discuss a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip ended on a "positive" note, with the parties agreeing to continue consultation to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis, Egyptian media close to the government reported.
''The consultations will continue over the next three days,'' Al Qahera News channel said, citing a well-placed source.
However, none of the officials who attended the meeting have made any comments as of yet.
Earlier in the morning, an Israeli security delegation arrived in Cairo to attend the meeting with representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and the US to discuss the prospects of reaching a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage swap with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Earlier last week, a Hamas delegation paid a visit to Cairo to discuss a possible hostage swap and Gaza cease-fire.
Hamas proposed a three-stage cease-fire plan that included a 135-day pause in fighting to allow hostage swap, according to a Palestinian source.
The original framework agreement for the Gaza cease-fire was worked out during a Paris meeting last month by top officials from the US, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected Hamas's cease-fire offer and vowed to continue bombarding Gaza until a “crushing victory” over the Palestinian group is achieved.
Israel believes that 134 Israelis are being held in Gaza after the Israeli army managed on Monday to free two hostages in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 28,473 people and injuring 68,146 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio