Israeli delegation to travel to Cairo for Gaza hostage negotiations

An Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo in the coming days for negotiations to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday.

“The negotiating team for a hostage deal will depart for Cairo on Saturday night or on Sunday,” his office said.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri commented on the announcement, telling Reuters, “Netanyahu does not want to stop the war and is using these empty statements to cover up his crimes and evade their consequences.”

Qatar and Egypt, which have acted as mediators in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, suggested on Wednesday that the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh could jeopardize efforts to secure a truce in Gaza.

“Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani wrote on X.

“Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life.”

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have repeatedly tried to clinch a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October, killing 1,200 people.