Delegations from Qatar, the United States – lead by CIA chief William Burns, and Hamas were in Cairo on Tuesday, according to high-ranking Egyptian officials speaking to local media outlets. A med-level Israeli delegation also arrived for the resumption of talks on a possible agreement on a hostage release in exchange for a cease-fire.
The delegation made up of members of the Mossad, IDF and Shin Bet will be allowed to hear the mediators and ask questions, but not be able to really negotiate any terms after they were not authorized to do so by the cabinet.
Israeli officials said that if there is no progress in the talks, Israel will move to the next stage of the offensive on Rafah, which began on Monday. "We understand that (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar is playing for time. We mustn't slow down in Rafah. It is our only chance to bring about a deal," the officials said.
Earlier, after Hamas announced Monday that it was accepting a proposal from mediators, it added new demands which Israel rejected.
Hamas says it will only free 18 hostages unless Israel agrees to end the war, according to a report on CNN reported on Tuesday, quoting unnamed sources.
The network also said that Hamas refused to release only live hostages in the first phase of the deal and insisted that if 33 hostages were to be freed in the agreed upon categories, they would include some who were killed. The terror group also demands that Israel not be able to oppose the freeing of any prisoner from its jails, clearing the way for the release of Marwan Barghouti, who has been imprisoned for over 20 years after being convicted of multiple murders. He is considered a leading candidate to replace Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Hamas official Yahya Sinwar, U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photos: SAUL LOEB / AFP, EPA, EPA)
American officials said there is room for optimism although Hamas did not actually accept the proposed deal. Still, the officials said their Monday response could be a sign of progress.
Israel and Hamas should be able to close the remaining gaps in their positions in order to reach a ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza, the White House said on Tuesday. "We believe that these gaps can be closed," John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters as negotiators began gathering in Cairo for a fresh round of discussions. Kirby said Hamas had offered amendments on Monday to an original Israeli proposal aimed at ending the impasse. The deal text, as amended, suggests the remaining gaps can "absolutely be closed," he said.
The Hamas announcement came as Israeli forces began their offensive on eastern Rafah. On Tuesday, the Israeli flag was raised on the Rafah border crossing with Egypt while troops continued their advance on the city.
In a statement on Tuesday Hamas said the offensive aimed to compound the already grave humanitarian situation in the Strip. "This crime comes after we announced that we accepted the proposed deal," the statement claimed.