Cairo, Feb 22 (EFE).- A truce agreement in Gaza is likely in the coming days, after Hamas offered concessions in the Cairo negotiations, according to Palestinian sources on Thursday.
“Hamas has renounced its demand for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, in exchange for guarantees that its leaders are not killed,” Palestinian sources privy to the negotiations told EFE.
The officials did not rule out the announcement of a new truce “next week” after another meeting scheduled in Paris between the heads of the intelligence services of Israel, the United States and Egypt, as well as the prime minister of Qatar.
They underlined that this progress was achieved in a round of talks in Cairo over the last two days in which the Hamas delegation was led by the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.
The talks were also attended by Brett McGurk, Middle East adviser to US President Joe Biden, participated in that round; the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, and other officials.
According to Egyptian security sources, these meetings focused on the Paris proposal for a ceasefire, as well as what Hamas proposed, and an exchange of prisoners and hostages between the two sides.
The sources, requesting anonymity, confirmed on Wednesday that Cairo hoped to achieve “the objectives” of these negotiations during that round, and that they were close to reaching a truce between the two sides.
The US envoy is scheduled to travel to Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli army leaders to discuss the truce and plan to conduct a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah, which borders Egypt, according to the same sources.
The conflict, which has now been going on for more than four months, started as a result of the Hamas attack on Israel that left some 1,200 people dead. The total death toll in Gaza currently stands at some 29,000.
A first week-long truce, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with the help of the United States, was reached on Nov. 24 and allowed the release of 105 hostages – 24 of them foreigners – in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. EFE
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