Hamas delegation heads to Cairo to follow up ceasefire deal developments

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas on Friday said its delegation headed to Cairo to follow up with developments related to the ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said a delegation headed by its senior leader Khalil al-Hayya traveled to Cairo to meet Egyptian officials and follow up the developments.

The Palestinian group earlier said it approved a proposal by mediators to resume negotiations by releasing an Israeli soldier with US citizenship and returning the bodies of four dual-national Israelis.

Hamas also reiterated its "full readiness to begin negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase," urging Israel to “fulfill its full commitments."

The initial 42-day ceasefire phase of a three-phase ceasefire deal ended in early March, but Israel has resisted advancing to phase two, favoring extensions to secure additional releases of captives without meeting military or humanitarian obligations.

Hamas insists on enforcing the full agreement and pressed mediators to immediately launch talks for phase two of the deal.

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January, has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.