Hamas discusses Gaza ceasefire in Cairo

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A Hamas delegation will head to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, nearly 14 months into the war, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement said Friday evening. This announcement comes amidst significant regional developments, notably the implementation of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

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“A Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo for several meetings with Egyptian officials to discuss ideas related to a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange in the Gaza Strip,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

This visit comes less than 48 hours after the ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, while the Palestinian movement faces immense pressure and now finds itself alone in direct combat with the Israeli army.

On Wednesday, the White House announced that the United States is intensifying diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, with assistance from Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt.

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At the same time, reports indicate that Egyptian authorities are increasing pressure on Hamas to relax some of its demands, while the movement’s negotiating team insists on the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas previously expressed its desire to finalize a ceasefire agreement following the accord reached in Lebanon.

On the ground, medics reported that at least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday night and Friday in Gaza. They retrieved 19 bodies from northern areas of Nuseirat, one of Gaza’s eight longstanding refugee camps.

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They also reported that an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 Palestinians in a house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, later on Friday. The remaining fatalities occurred in northern and southern parts of Gaza.

Israeli tanks advanced into northern and western parts of Nuseirat camp on Thursday. They withdrew from northern areas on Friday but remained in the western section. Palestinian Civil Defense teams said they could not respond to distress calls from residents trapped in their homes.

On Friday, dozens of Palestinians returned to areas vacated by the army to assess the damage to their homes. Medics and relatives wrapped bodies, including those of women, in blankets or white shrouds and carried them on stretchers.

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A man wept beside his wife’s body lying on a stretcher and said, “Forgive me, my wife, forgive me, Ibtisam, forgive me, my beloved.”

Later on Friday, medical sources reported that an Israeli drone killed Ahmad al-Kahlout, head of the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, where the military has been operating since early October.

The Israeli army said it had no knowledge of an attack on the hospital at that time.

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Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of three medical facilities in northern Gaza, is barely operational due to severe shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and food. Health officials stated that most of the hospital staff had been arrested by the Israeli army or expelled.

The Palestinian Civil Defense, Hamas, and the Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that 70 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia over the past 24 hours. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has not yet confirmed this figure.

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In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, accusing Israel of “using starvation as a weapon against citizens (in northern Gaza) to force them off their land and out of their homes.”

The Israeli military said that its forces, which have been conducting operations in Beit Lahia, Jabalya, and Beit Hanoun since October 5, are targeting Hamas fighters to prevent them from regrouping and launching new attacks from those areas. Residents reported that the army was conducting evacuations in Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and the Jabalya refugee camp.

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