A Palestinian boy stands next to a mosque destroyed by Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Mar. 2, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
A Hamas delegation is due to visit Cairo on Saturday to continue negotiations on a truce in the Gaza Strip, a source close to the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP.
Qatar, the US and Egypt are trying to secure an agreement between Hamas and Israel, providing for a six-week truce and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
US President Joe Biden had initially expressed "hope" that an agreement could be signed by Monday, before retracting his statement. On Friday, he said he was "hopeful" that a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month due to begin on Mar. 10 or 11. However, he warned that "we may not be able to achieve this."
The source close to Hamas, who requested anonymity, said that the Palestinian movement's delegation would "meet the Egyptians supervising the ceasefire negotiations to follow the development of discussions aimed at halting the [Israeli] offensive and the war, and reaching an agreement on a hostage exchange."
Earlier this week, a source close to Hamas had indicated that the Islamist movement was offering to free one hostage a day for 42 days in exchange for 10 Palestinian prisoners for each hostage. Around 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza during the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,160 people, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data. According to the Israeli authorities, 130 hostages are still being held, 31 of whom have reportedly died, following the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians during an initial truce at the end of November. In retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, and its military offensive has left over 30,000 dead in Gaza, the vast majority of them civilians, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
According to a source close to the Islamist movement, the latter is also demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced Gazans to the north of the territory and the entry of humanitarian aid for the population threatened by famine, as part of the truce negotiations.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour via AFP.