“All sides” including Israel “agree to return to the negotiating table” for a truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the Egyptian intelligence-affiliated Al-Qahera News reported on Tuesday, citing “senior official”, amid fresh talks being held in Cairo today, a day after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal tabled by Egypt and Qatar.

Earlier, the same source said mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States were holding talks in Cairo with Hamas.

Netanyahu said he instructed the Israeli delegation to “continue to be rigid on the conditions necessary for the release” of the hostages, as well as on the “basic” conditions for guaranteeing Israel’s security.

An AFP correspondent reported that airstrikes took place in Rafah last night.

A senior Hamas official said the talks “could be the last chance for Israeli prisoners to return alive”.

According to the second-in-command of Hamas’ political wing in Gaza, Khalil al-Haya, the proposal accepted by his movement includes three phases, each lasting 42 days, and includes the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territory, the return of the displaced and the exchange of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire”.

Israel currently opposes a ceasefire until Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, is defeated.

The Islamist movement, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, for its part demands a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.