New efforts for a cease-fire in Gaza appear to raise hopes of an agreement between the parties involved as, according to AFP, Hamas has reportedly pledged to stop fighting against Israel if a truce is reached and long-standing efforts to end of the war show that they are gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, according to a Friday report by Britain-based Qatari newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya, who visited Cairo on Thursday to take part in the talks, said that before each move towards negotiations must be preceded by an end to the “genocide” taking place in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

What will the ceasefire agreement include?

Early reports estimate that a ceasefire agreement would initially include the withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, among other things.

“Hamas has expressed its readiness to stop fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced persons, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” a Hamas official said.