TEL AVIV, August 25. /TASS/. Israel’s delegation has arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo for talks on the release of hostages held in Gaza, Dmitry Gendelman, an advisor to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told TASS.

"The Israeli delegation has arrived in Cairo," he said.

Gendelman told TASS on Saturday that the delegation led by Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea was expected to arrive in Cairo on August 25.

Another round of consultations on a ceasefire for Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages took place in Doha on August 15-16. Egypt, Qatar and the US said in a joint statement that the talks "were conducted in a positive atmosphere." The US, backed by Qatar and Egypt, presented a proposal to Israel and to Hamas that closes the remaining gaps between them.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas military and political wings and free all hostages. According to the latest information from Israel, Hamas still holds 109 hostages in Gaza.