Hamas delegation leaves Cairo, Gaza truce talks to resume next week

CAIRO -- A delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has left Cairo and the negotiations regarding a potential truce between the movement and Israel will resume next week, Egypt's Al-Qahera News reported on Thursday.

"Consultations are continuing between all parties to reach a truce before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan," Al-Qahera News quoted an unnamed official source as saying. Ramadan begins this year around March 10.

The high-level Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks over a truce with Israel, which has been launching a massive military campaign on the besieged Palestinian Gaza Strip over the past five months.

As of Thursday, the Israeli offensives in Gaza have killed 30,800 Palestinians and injured 72,298 others, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The Israeli escalation followed an attack by Gaza-ruling Hamas on Israeli towns on Oct 7 last year, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking over 200 as hostages.

Egypt, Qatar, and the United States mediated a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas that ended in late November 2023, which included a swap between Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages and more humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.