CAIRO, February 12. /TASS/. A Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo, where it will sit down with Egyptian mediators and discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the movement said on its Telegram channel.
According to the statement, "a delegation led by the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo and began meetings with Egyptian officials [to] discuss implementation of a ceasefire agreement [in Gaza] and the exchange of [Palestinian] prisoners for [Israelis held in the enclave] through technical committees and intermediaries."
The situation in the Middle East deteriorated after the penetration of armed Hamas supporters from the Gaza Strip into the Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. Residents of the border areas were killed and hostages were taken. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave with the aim of destroying the military and political structure of Hamas and freeing all the abductees.
On January 15 of this year, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that Israel and Hamas, had reached an agreement to release the hostages held in Gaza and to introduce a ceasefire in the enclave. The agreement, which includes three stages, entered into force on January 19. According to the agreements, implementation of its first phase will last 42 days, during which time Hamas must release at least 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. The last stage of the hostage release took place on February 8, when three Israelis returned from Gaza, one of whom also holds German citizenship. In return, Israel released more than 180 Palestinian prisoners from prison.
On February 10, Abu Ubaida, a representative of the military wing of Hamas, announced a delay in the release of the next group of hostages set to come home on February 15. The movement believes that Israel violated the terms of the deal when it "delayed the return of displaced persons from the south of the enclave to the north, opened fire on Gazans and was unable to ensure the delivery of all types of humanitarian aid in the required volumes." On February 11, the Prime Minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to resume intense fighting in Gaza if Hamas did not release the Israeli hostages by noon on February 15.