The Israeli government has officially announced its participation in the Cairo security meeting scheduled for Tuesday, involving US, Egyptian, and Qatari representatives. This high-level meeting is set to discuss the potential prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.
The decision comes after Israel deliberated for days due to what it describes as Hamas’s rigid stance on the exchange deal. The Israeli delegation is led by Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and General Nitzan Alon.
Also attending the meeting are CIA Director William Burns, Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Israeli officials have drafted a new stance on the hostage release agreement and prisoner swap with Hamas. This new draft is said to show a degree of flexibility from Israel, hoping to break the deadlock in negotiations.
The United States currently prefers the idea of a “long-term truce” with the release of hostages still held in Gaza, over discussing an end to the ongoing war.
The war between Israel and Hamas ignited on October 7 when Hamas militants from Gaza, controlled by the group since 2007, launched an attack on southern Israel, killing over 1160 people, mostly civilians according to official Israeli figures.
In response, Israel vowed to “eliminate” Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, and launched attacks resulting in at least 28,340 deaths in Gaza, predominantly children and women, as per the latest figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Israel estimates that about 130 hostages are still held in Gaza, including 29 believed to be deceased, out of 250 people abducted in Israel on October 7.
