By Ibrahim al-Khazen
ISTANBUL (AA) – A Hamas delegation is set to visit Egypt on Tuesday to continue Gaza cease-fire talks with Israel, according to Egyptian media on Monday.
The state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing a high-level source, said the Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo early Tuesday, without providing any further details.
There was no confirmation from the Palestinian group of the report.
The Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital on Sunday after a two-day round of cease-fire talks for consultations with the group’s leadership.
The situation escalated in the Gaza Strip early Monday after the Israeli army issued immediate evacuation orders for Palestinians in the eastern part of Rafah and called on them to move to the town of al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.
Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza in return for any agreement with Tel Aviv.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people. More than 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar