Talks on a truce in the Gaza conflict are making progress in Cairo and all parties have agreed on basic points, Egypt’s Al-Qahera News state-affiliated TV channel said early on Monday, citing a senior Egyptian source. Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for fresh talks on a potential ceasefire in the six-month conflict, following the arrival on Saturday of US CIA Director William Burns. There was no immediate comment from Hamas and none of the parties to the Cairo talks has confirmed the Al-Qahera news report. According to Al-Qahera, the Hamas and Qatar delegations left Cairo and will return within two days to agree on the terms of a final agreement, while the Israel and US delegations will leave within a few hours. It added that consultations will continue in the next 48 hours. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire without the release of hostages, while Hamas reiterated its demands, which include a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a return of displaced people. Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to “extreme” demands from Hamas. The Israeli military has withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip except for one brigade, a military spokesperson said on Sunday. The military did not immediately provide further details. It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Israeli leaders have said is needed to eliminate Hamas. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has focused in the past months on the south of the Palestinian enclave, despite once declaring it a safe zone. At least 33,137 Palestinians have been killed and 75,815 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo make ‘significant progress’
