Hamas announced in an official statement today, Sunday, that the round of truce talks in Cairo regarding Gaza has concluded, noting that the movement's delegation departed Cairo tonight to consult with the leadership of the movement.
The statement mentioned: "The delegation submitted the movement's response to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, and engaged in deep and serious discussions with them."
It added: "The movement confirms its positive and responsible engagement, its commitment, and its determination to reach an agreement that meets the national demands of our people, ends the aggression completely, achieves a withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, facilitates the return of the displaced, intensifies relief efforts, begins reconstruction, and accomplishes a prisoner exchange deal."
Earlier, an Israeli official stated on Saturday that Hamas is "obstructing the possibility of reaching an agreement" for a truce in Gaza by insisting on ending the war in the region.
The official considered that "the information suggesting that Israel agreed to end the war as part of a prisoner swap agreement or that Israel would allow mediators to guarantee a ceasefire is inaccurate. So far, Hamas has not abandoned its demand to end the war, thus obstructing the possibility of reaching an agreement" regarding a proposal for a truce after nearly seven months since the onset of the war in Gaza.
For its part, a Hamas official indicated that the discussions held on Saturday in Cairo with the mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) did not witness "any developments."
Media reports indicated that Washington has provided assurances to Hamas that Israel would agree to a ceasefire once a truce agreement is reached.
Mediators have been conducting indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for months to establish a truce in the Gaza Strip, which has been experiencing deadly airstrikes and battles for about seven months now.
This truce is expected to especially include a cessation of hostilities and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages taken during the unprecedented attack carried out by the Palestinian movement from Gaza on southern Israel on October 7, which sparked the war.
In a related context, thousands of people, including relatives of hostages, demonstrated on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, demanding Netanyahu's government to forge a truce agreement that allows for the return of the hostages.
A banner featuring Netanyahu's image read, "You are the one undermining any agreement."
