Israeli airstrikes struck central Gaza Wednesday, hitting areas including Deir al-Balah and the Al-Bureij refugee camp, Palestinian sources reported. Later, Gaza sources claimed that a family was killed in the Zeitoun neighborhood, though these reports could not be independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, Hamas said a delegation led by senior Gaza official Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on the ongoing war. Discussions, expected to begin as early as Wednesday, are reportedly focused on ending the fighting, delivering humanitarian aid, internal Palestinian relations and ties with Egypt. Hamas officials said that a “comprehensive deal” is the central goal of the talks.
IDF strikes in Deir al-Balah
Sources familiar with the matter told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that Hamas leadership clarified remarks by al-Hayya that had sparked anger in Cairo. Proposals regarding the war and negotiations were also discussed amid mediation efforts in Doha, Cairo and Ankara, aimed at advancing a comprehensive deal that would end the war and include, at Israel’s insistence, disarmament of resistance groups.
An Egyptian source told Al-Akhbar that the Hamas delegation showed flexibility on deploying international and Arab forces in Gaza, establishing a local police force and possibly a transitional technocratic administration led by Palestinian businessman Samir Halila. Cairo currently accepts that resistance groups retain their weapons, with international forces and factions required to observe a ceasefire. Egyptian intelligence also presented a two-stage initiative: a hostage and prisoner swap deal, followed by a mechanism to guarantee Gaza’s security.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Hamas senior official Khalil al-Hayya
(Photo: Bashar Taleb/AFP; Martin Sylvest/RITZAU Scanpix/AFP; Khaled Desouki/AFP; IDF Spokesperson's Unit; Yair Shagai; Yuval Chen; REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein; Khalil Hamra/AP; Hassan Ammar)
An Arab source familiar with the talks told Al-Akhbar that Cairo may invite an Israeli negotiation team to Egypt in the coming days if progress is made, though Israel denied such plans, saying any rapprochement would take place in Doha. AP separately reported that Israel is discussing hosting displaced Gazans with five countries including South Sudan, Indonesia, Libya and Ethiopia as part of voluntary migration efforts.
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On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled a focus on a comprehensive deal, avoiding questions on partial agreements. He instructed the IDF to accelerate the capture of Gaza City to end the war, aligning with U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a rapid resolution. Netanyahu pledged to secure the release of “all 20” living hostages but did not address hostages who have died.