A Hamas delegation arrived Saturday in Cairo, Egypt for the latest round of talks on a proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, Egyptian state-linked media Al-Qahera News reported - cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

 

Al-Qahera News, linked to Egyptian intelligence services, quoted an unnamed high-ranking source as saying that "there is significant progress in the negotiations" between Hamas and the Israeli Occupation, and that the Egyptian mediators have "reached an agreed-upon formula on most points of contention".

 

Earlier today, reports emerged that Hamas’ leadership has agreed to implement the first phase of the proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, after the United States pledged through mediators -Egypt and Qatar- that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) would withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip and stop its aggression - according to a senior Hamas source cited by Hebrew Channel 12.

 

It added that the CIA Director William J. Burns will return to Cairo to oversee and finalize the last remaining details of the agreement. A Hamas delegation led by Khalil Al-Hayya will also travel to Cairo and arrive today in addition to an “Israeli” delegation.

 

According to Channel 12, the United States committed to Hamas and mediators that “Israel” will not invade Rafah at any point from now.

 

However, there are other points of contention in the deal yet to be agreed upon, particularly regarding the entry of dual-use materials into the Strip – which are items that can be both used for civilian and military applications.

 

The Hamas source added that stipulations regarding dual-use materials are close to being finalized, adding that Hamas made it clear compromises were reached regarding the number of Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange for each “Israeli” captive.