Hamas delegation expected in Cairo to discuss Egypt’s Gaza ceasefire plan

Cairo plan includes renewable ceasefires, hostage exchanges and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which staged a brutal attack on October 7 that killed 1,400 Israelis

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An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds from a position near the Gaza border. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:07am, 29 Dec 2023Updated: 10:30am, 29 Dec 2023

A Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo on Friday to give its “observations” about an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire that would end the war in Gaza, a Hamas official said.

The plan was put last week to officials of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which is also battling Israeli forces in the territory, when the chiefs of both movements visited the Egyptian capital.

Sources close to Hamas say Cairo’s three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war sparked by the deadly October 7 attack on Israel.

It also provides for a Palestinian government of technocrats after talks involving “all Palestinian factions”, which would be responsible for governing and rebuilding in post-war Gaza.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, which left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel’s relentless aerial bombardment and ground invasion have killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.