A delegation of Hamas will return to Egypt on Tuesday to resume negotiations on the proposal to implement a ceasefire in Gaza combined with the release of hostages, the Egyptian media outlet Al-Qahera News reported today.

“The Hamas delegation left Cairo tonight for Doha, where it will hold consultations and return on Tuesday to conclude the negotiations” being conducted through mediators with Israel, Al-Qahera News reported, citing a well-informed source.

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.

The moves of the CIA director

CIA Director William Burns is expected in Israel tomorrow, where he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to information provided by a reporter for the news website Axios.

William Burns traveled to Doha today for an emergency meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, a US official said earlier, “with the aim of putting greater pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiations”.

Earlier, Egyptian media outlet Al-Qahera News reported that a Hamas delegation will return to Egypt on Tuesday to resume negotiations on the proposal to implement a ceasefire in Gaza coupled with the release of hostages.

“The Hamas delegation left Cairo tonight for Doha, where it will hold consultations and return on Tuesday to conclude the negotiations” being conducted through mediators with Israel, Al-Qahera News reported, citing a well-informed source.

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.

The Biden administration last week suspended the shipment of American-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told the news website Axios.

It is the first time since the October 7 attacks that Washington has suspended the shipment of weapons systems destined for the Israeli military.

The US president is facing fierce criticism from Americans who oppose Washington’s support for the Israeli government.

The US government asked Israel in February to provide guarantees that US-made weapons are being used by Chahal in Gaza as required by international law. Israel sent Washington a letter with the relevant assurances in March, according to Axios.