File Photo: Head of General Intelligence Service Hassan Rashad. Ahram.
The meetings were part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to de-escalate the war on the Gaza Strip and overcome remaining obstacles to reaching a ceasefire agreement.
High-level sources told Al-Qahera News that Egypt and Qatar both agree on the urgency of securing a ceasefire, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, and facilitating the release of captives and detainees.
The sources also stressed that Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators continue to intensify their contacts with all concerned parties to reach a deal.
Over the past week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed in the Qatari capital. But despite international momentum, the two sides remain at odds over key terms.
A Palestinian source told AFP that Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence in Gaza has stalled a proposed 60-day pause in fighting.
An Israeli official, speaking to AFP, accused Hamas of deliberately blocking a deal, as the group rejected new Israeli demands to retain forces in over 40 percent of Gaza.
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the main obstacle.
"Netanyahu is skilled at sabotaging one round of negotiations after another, and is unwilling to reach any agreement," the group wrote on Telegram.
Hamas also condemned Netanyahu’s proposal to relocate Palestinians to what the UN agencies described as an “ethnic concentration camp” in Rafah, near the southern border with Egypt.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that ceasefire talks were ongoing: “Gaza — we are talking, and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week.”
Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 57,680 Palestinians — the majority women and children — and injured 137,409 others, according to the Strip's Health Ministry.
Egypt, alongside Qatar and the United States, has been a key mediator in efforts to end the war, now entering its 21st month.
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