Hamas emphasized its positive spirit with which the movement had studied the ceasefire proposal received recently and will go to Cairo with the same spirit to reach an agreement, the Palestinian terror group said on Friday.
"We are determined to secure an agreement in a way that fulfills Palestinians' demands," Hamas said in a statement.
According to Saudi newspaper "Asharq," citing "sources," intensive contacts have taken place between mediators and Hamas and Israeli delegations in the past hours, overcoming obstacles related to the numbers and categories of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the first stage.
The publication states that Hamas has secured American assurances through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, according to which the "stable calm" established in the agreement will be a permanent ceasefire. It is also noted that a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy of Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, will arrive in Cairo tomorrow to discuss the final details of the prisoner exchange deal.
Earlier on Friday, Israel dismissed the optimism expressed by the mediators, emphasizing that there is no indication of a change in Hamas's "extremist positions."
Meanwhile, An Israeli incursion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and be a huge blow to the aid operations of the entire enclave, the U.N. humanitarian office said on Friday, as the World Health Organization announced contingency plans for an incursion.
"It could be a slaughter of civilians and an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire strip because it is run primarily out of Rafah," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Humanitarian Office (OCHA), at a Geneva press briefing.