'Reaching a deal is closer than ever if Israel stops imposing new conditions," Hamas says
Reports also surfaced of an Israeli delegation heading to Cairo to further talks, which have since been denied by Israeli officials.
“The possibility of reaching a deal is closer than ever if Israel stops imposing new conditions," Hamas said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement comes following a Friday meeting between a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the negotiating team for a hostage deal and ceasefire, and representatives of the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
In the statement, Hamas also declared that the three organizations are unified in their demand for an immediate end to the war as part of an agreement that includes the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Delegation or no delegation?
Later on Saturday, a report by Qatari-owned, London-based news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed claimed that a security delegation from Israel was on its way to Cairo in order to meet with Egyptian officials on the topics of a hostage deal and ceasefire.
Israeli officials denied these claims, saying, "There is no Israeli delegation on the way to Cairo, nor is one planned."
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