A delegation of Hamas negotiators is preparing to leave for Doha after a meeting with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on the truce plan “concluded,” an official with the Islamist group told AFP.

“Meeting with Egyptian Intelligence Minister ends, Hamas delegation to depart for Doha to continue consultations” with the leadership of the movement, said the unnamed Hamas official.

Hopes for the prospect of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas at talks in Cairo have dwindled in recent days as the two sides’ differences have become apparent, notably over the implementation of a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel does not consent to the end of military operations

Israel wants a deal that would provide for the release of at least some of the roughly 130 hostages held by Hamas, but an Israeli official on Saturday hinted that his central position had not changed, saying that Israel “under no circumstances ” is not going to reach an agreement that will end the war, which it continues with the aim of disarming and finally dismantling Hamas.

Another Palestinian official told Reuters that the negotiations “face challenges because the occupying power (Israel) refuses to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire”, but added that the Hamas delegation was still in Cairo in the hope that mediators they will be able to pressure Israel to change its position.

The airstrikes on Gaza continue

As the talks were underway, residents and medics said Israeli planes and tanks continued to pound areas throughout the Palestinian enclave overnight, killing and injuring scores of people.

The war began after Hamas stormed from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 were taken hostage, according to Israeli accounts.

More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed and at least another 77,000 injured so far in the Israeli offensive, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The shelling has destroyed most of the coastal enclave and caused a humanitarian crisis.

Qatar, where Hamas has a political office, and Egypt are trying to broker a continuation of a brief cease-fire in November, amid international frustration over the ever-growing death toll in Gaza and the plight of its 2.3 million its inhabitants.

In Qatar the director of the CIA

CIA Director William Burns is on his way to Doha for an emergency meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, a US official said today.

“Burns is on his way to Doha for an urgent meeting with the Qatari prime minister with the aim of putting greater pressure on Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations,” the official said.

A delegation of Hamas negotiators is preparing to leave for Doha after a meeting with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on the truce plan “concluded,” an official with the Islamist group told AFP.

“The meeting with the Egyptian intelligence minister has ended, the Hamas delegation will leave for Doha to continue consultations” with the movement’s leadership, the unnamed Hamas official said.

Hopes for the prospect of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas at talks in Cairo have dwindled in recent days as the two sides’ differences have become apparent, notably over the implementation of a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

In particular, Hamas repeated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages only to receive a categorically negative response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.