Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo for talks on comprehensive Gaza ceasefire and hosta

An Arab official familiar with the talks said Cairo intends to invite an Israeli negotiating team to the Egyptian capital in the coming days, once there is progress with Hamas. He predicted an exchange of draft agreements soon, adding that “what brought Hamas to Cairo was Israel’s threat to capture Gaza City.”

According to the official, Egypt has now reached an understanding with Hamas for eventual disarmament and symbolic exile. “But Hamas wasn’t willing to include that in the first agreement, because they don’t trust Israel. They fear Israel will trick them and resume fighting, so they won’t give up their weapons or their last hostages at the outset,” he said.

The official described “cautious optimism” in Cairo. “In Doha, they covered perhaps 70% of the issues,” he said. “Disputes remained, such as a few hundred meters’ difference on the size of the perimeter in Gaza. They had already discussed formulas and were close to solutions. There was also a dispute over the number of life-sentence prisoners to be released — 120 as Israel agreed, versus 200 demanded by Hamas — but that was solvable. Then both sides blew it up. A shame.”

The Arab official said Hamas had agreed to Egypt’s proposal for “the day after,” which includes Palestinian Authority involvement in governing Gaza. “Israel says it won’t allow the PA to return to Gaza, but it continues to cooperate with PA security forces in the West Bank, and that works well. It would work in Gaza, too,” he argued.

He said the international consensus is that no deal can be reached without a PA presence in Gaza. “There will be Arab actors in the interim administration, but the PA will also be represented. Hamas understands it cannot stay in Gaza. Some of its members want to leave and build new lives elsewhere, hence their interest in exile.”

The official claimed Hamas no longer controls all of Gaza. “There’s no organized military structure, no command hierarchy. We saw in Doha that Hamas agreed to things local commanders wouldn’t accept, and responses from the ground took a long time. This is a rare opportunity to rebuild Gaza. We must not waste it.”

He said Israel has quietly preferred Qatar to lead the negotiations, despite knowing Egypt is the main mediator drafting agreements and understanding the realities on the ground. “Yes, Qatar influences Hamas, but there are also unclear interests. We don’t understand why Israel keeps trusting them.”

The official also suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may not truly want to end the war, accusing him of dragging out the process for domestic political reasons. “We have an excellent security dialogue with Israel. Egypt has fully sealed its border with Gaza — no weapons can be smuggled in. Israel knows this. We have a clear interest in stability on our border.”

According to Sky News Arabia, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials. The network reported that the mediators plan to present a new initiative aimed at “removing Netanyahu’s excuses” for recapturing Gaza City.

Later, the network said the proposal includes a comprehensive deal to release all Israeli hostages — living and dead — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Under the plan, Hamas would agree to a new IDF withdrawal map in Gaza under Arab-American supervision until a permanent agreement on disarmament and governance is reached.

In line with Israel’s demand, which Hamas has so far rejected, the proposal calls for Hamas to freeze its military activities and disarm, with the mediators — and Turkey — serving as guarantors, while negotiations proceed toward a permanent cease-fire.

A senior Israeli security official was skeptical: “The chances Hamas will accept the Egyptian initiative are slim. In the end, Hamas is a terror group unlikely to disarm — but perhaps Turkish influence and guarantees could work.”

Within Israel’s negotiating team, there is disagreement over the plan’s chances. Some believe the gaps can be bridged, and the main question is whether Hamas will agree to a comprehensive deal. In any case, they say the significance of the proposal is that the sides are now discussing an overall end to the war.

At a press conference two days ago, Netanyahu signaled there may be no more partial hostage deals, declaring that the decision would come through “sophisticated methods that will surprise Hamas.” He revealed he had ordered the IDF to accelerate plans to capture Gaza City and act “faster and earlier” to end the war.

On the negotiations, some in the Israeli team said the differences with Hamas were small and could be resolved, but Netanyahu argued Hamas had presented “surrender terms” — releasing Nukhba commandos, international guarantees that fighting would not resume, and a withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor — demands he said no government could accept. While Netanyahu claimed there was no chance for a deal, some mediators and negotiators maintain an agreement was possible, and that Israel walked away too soon.