Egypt to host Israeli and US delegations for Gaza ceasefire talks

(Patria) - Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News channel said on Saturday that the country will host Israeli and US delegations to discuss "unresolved issues" in a possible ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Citing a senior official, al-Qahera News stated that Egypt is holding talks with
Palestinian Hamas to conclude a truce and prisoner-for-hostage exchange agreements.

Hamas has accepted a US proposal to start negotiations on the release of Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men, sixteen days after the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, a senior Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday.

Hamas has dropped its demand that Israel first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing an agreement and will allow negotiations to achieve this during the first six-week phase, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

A Palestinian official close to peace efforts through international mediation said the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if accepted by Israel and would end the nine-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

A source in the Israeli negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were realistic chances of reaching an agreement. This was in stark contrast to past instances in the nine-month war in Gaza, when Israel said Hamas's conditions were unacceptable.