A Hamas delegation arrived in Egypt’s Cairo on Friday for talks on implementing terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal and pushing forward negotiations on its second phase, Egypt’s State Information Service said in a statement.
Egypt is holding intensive talks with Hamas leaders, as well as US and Qatari mediators, to continue the implementation of the ceasefire and to begin the second phase of the deal, according to the statement.
A three-phase Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, took effect on January 19. The negotiations for the second phase of the deal remain stalled after the initial 42-day phase expired on March 1.
Egypt has been intensifying diplomatic efforts to achieve a Gaza ceasefire and advance the strip’s reconstruction. On Tuesday, Egypt hosted an emergency Arab summit and proposed a Gaza non-displacement reconstruction plan valued at 53 billion US dollars.
However, the plan necessitates a permanent ceasefire in the strip to encourage financing and investment for its implementation, Xinhua news agency reported.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday had issued what he called the “last warning” to Hamas on his Truth Social platform, saying, “Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”
“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he said in the post.
Israel had demanded a demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and an end to Hamas’ rule in order to move on to the next phase of the ceasefire deal that took effect in January.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said recently that if Hamas agreed to these demands, “we can implement (the deal) tomorrow.”
