Qatar-based Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke in Egypt on Thursday with the head of Egyptian intelligence about the situation in Gaza, amid the war between his movement and Israel.
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“The head of Hamas’ political bureau arrived in Egypt on Thursday morning at the head of a delegation that discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip with the head of the intelligence service, General Abbas Kamel,” he said in a press release, according to the Islamist movement.
This visit is taking place, according to a source close to the discussions. Qatar is negotiating the release of hostages held by the Palestinian movement Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire lasting a few days.
In this regard, Israeli and American intelligence chiefs discussed a “possible humanitarian ceasefire” with Qatari officials in Doha on Thursday, according to an official familiar with the discussions.
Egypt, along with Qatar, was involved in earlier talks that led to the release in late October of two women who had been kidnapped by Hamas in its attack on Israeli territory on October 7 and had been detained in the Gaza Strip since then.
Egypt, which has the only access to the world in the Gaza Strip that is not in Israel’s hands, the Rafah border crossing, has historically been a key mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In Cairo, it is traditionally the secret services that mediate between Palestinian movements or between Israelis and Palestinians.
Some 239 hostages of all ages, Israelis, foreigners or binational, were identified by Israel and taken to Gaza by Hamas Islamists during this attack, which Israeli authorities said killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
Since then, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip relentlessly to “destroy” the Islamist movement. According to the Health Ministry of Hamas, which is in power in Gaza, these bombings have killed more than 10,812 people, mostly civilians, since October 7.