Representative from Hamas, Qatar, and the US have arrived in Cario, Egypt for a renewed round of hostage negotiations, KAN reported on Sunday, citing Arab media.
The Israeli delegation is thus far absent.
The Hamas delegation is being led by the terror organization’s deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official told Reuters.
Deal not close to being finalized
When asked if a deal was imminent, Reuters noted that a Palestinian official familiar with the ongoing talks said that one was not yet close to being finalized.
An Israeli delegation was initially expected to arrive in Cairo to take part in the talks. However, according to KAN, Israel has since denied its participation, citing Hamas’s refusal to provide information on the wellbeing of the hostages.
“The delegation will not leave until a response from Hamas is received,” KAN quoted the Israeli response as stating.
The Israeli response comes after a senior Hamas official told the London-based Qatari news outlet, The New Arab, that the terrorist group would not be releasing information on the well-being of any of the hostages until a ceasefire is enacted.
The official was quoted as having said Hamas “will not provide any details about the abductees it is holding, without significant relief in the suffering of the residents of Gaza and the application of a comprehensive ceasefire.”
He added that “Hamas will not make any concessions that the US and Israel want to force on it” and “Everything has a price, and we expressed clear demands.”
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
