Hamas has expressed openness to an agreement that would end the war in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages, and establish a five-year truce, a senior official said on Saturday ahead of talks with mediators in Cairo.
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss possible solutions with Egyptian mediators, as on the ground in Gaza City, at least 10 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a family home, with more feared trapped under the rubble.
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a Hamas official said the group “is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years.”
The latest diplomatic push follows an Israeli proposal earlier this month, which Hamas rejected as “partial,” insisting instead on a “comprehensive” deal to end the war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel’s offer had included a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages.
Hamas continues to demand a complete end to hostilities, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the besieged territory, where the United Nations warned Friday that food supplies are critically low.
Israel, meanwhile, remains firm on the return of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas—conditions the group has declared unacceptable.
More than a month into a renewed Israeli offensive following the collapse of a previous two-month truce, a Hamas official earlier this week said that the delegation in Cairo would discuss “new ideas” for achieving a ceasefire.
