Egypt try to unblock negotiations with Israelinviting a delegation from Tel Aviv to go to Cairo today, while negotiations are underway for secure an agreement for the release of hostages held by Hamasin which the Palestinian extremist movement should also participate.
The Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadid cites Egyptian sources according to whom the invitation “aims to speed up the process and provide the necessary clarifications regarding the observations that will be presented by the Hamas delegation that will visit Cairo”. The same source underlines that “the invited Israeli delegation will be authorized to provide answers to the questions raised by Hamas, without being authorized to make decisions or present official positions”. The attempt is to find an agreement on cease-fire.
The mediation attempt: Egypt invites an Israeli delegation to Cairo
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has unsuccessfully attempted to broker a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza after fighting was suspended for a week in November. The terms of the current Israeli-backed proposal have not been published but appear to include the release of 33 living hostages who meet the so-called “humanitarian” designation, meaning they would be women, children, men over the age of 50 and the sick. . In exchange, Israel would release far more Palestinian prisoners, including some accused of having blood on their hands.
A senior Hamas official he made it known that the group “does not have major problems” with the latest proposal from Israel and Egypt for a ceasefire: “The atmosphere is positive, unless there are new obstacles from Israel”, he underlined .
