A new march by the families of Israeli prisoners demanding that the government conclude a deal to release them (Getty)
There were conflicting leaks regarding Israel's involvement in new indirect negotiations with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding concluding a prisoner exchange deal and a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, Israeli Channel 13 quoted a knowledgeable official as saying that an Israeli delegation will not go to Cairo before obtaining clear answers from Hamas regarding the detainees.
However, sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that two delegations from Hamas and Israel will arrive in Cairo tomorrow, Sunday, to begin a new indirect round of negotiations to reach an agreement.
Reuters quoted two Egyptian security sources on Saturday that ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip are scheduled to resume in Cairo tomorrow, Sunday.
The two sources added - according to Reuters - that the parties agreed on the duration of the truce in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, and they explained that completing the deal still requires agreeing on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the northern Gaza Strip and the return of its residents.
In Washington, a senior US administration official said on Saturday that “discussions are continuing” at the present time to reach an agreement before the beginning of the month of Ramadan in about a week, pointing out that “there has been significant progress in recent weeks, but as is always the case, there is no agreement unless everything is resolved.” something".
Regional and international efforts
This comes at a time when the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani reviewed during a meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry the latest developments in the Gaza Strip.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry statement added that the two parties discussed joint efforts with regional and international partners to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
In this context, the march organized by thousands of Israelis to demand the release of prisoners detained by Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October arrived in occupied Jerusalem this Saturday evening.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said while participating in the march that if the kidnapped people did not return to their homes, Israel would have betrayed its citizens, and this should not be allowed, as he put it.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies