CAIRO: Hamas negotiators arrived in Cairo on Saturday for a briefing by mediators on the latest round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage talks.
The Hamas delegation, led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, held discussions with Egyptian intelligence officials shortly after their arrival.
The meeting was arranged following invitations from mediators in Egypt and Qatar to update Hamas on the results of negotiations in Cairo last Thursday, which included the Israeli side.
An Egyptian source told Arab News that the Hamas delegation refused to meet other delegations in Cairo and insisted that discussions be limited to the Egyptian side.
The source said that the meeting on Saturday focused on updating the Hamas delegation on the latest developments in negotiations with Israel over a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The Hamas position comes after Israel’s recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, said the source.
“As a result, the delegation is unwilling to engage with any Israeli representatives as a protest against what they see as an escalatory move.”
The source said the Hamas delegation called for increased pressure on Israel to fulfill its previous commitments and to stop obstructing progress toward an agreement.
The delegation emphasized that the presence of Hamas leaders in Egypt did not signify participation in formal negotiations, and instead, they are being briefed on discussions initially mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt a few days ago.
These talks aim to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, release some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, and halt the targeting of Hamas leaders, said the source.
It confirmed that Egypt informed Hamas that high-level communications had taken place between Cairo and Tel Aviv, where Egypt demanded that Israel enitrely withdraw its forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, located between Egypt and Gaza.
The Egyptian side is still reviewing the map presented by Israel, which shows a reduced presence of Israeli forces along this strategic corridor adjacent to Egypt, said the source.
The source reiterated that Egypt’s request to Israel was clear: “A complete withdrawal of forces from the corridor.”
The Philadelphi Corridor stretches 14 km in southern Gaza along the Egyptian border and is currently controlled by Israeli forces.
In a related development, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Washington had proposed a plan involving a reduction in Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, leaving only a small number of observation posts in place.
