Hamas officially announced on Friday night that it is sending a delegation to Cairo, with the goal of reaching an agreement on a hostage release deal.
“A delegation of the organization will leave for Cairo tomorrow in the same positive spirit to reach an agreement,” the terror group said.
“We are determined to reach an agreement that will fulfill the demands of our people for a total cessation of aggression, the withdrawal of IDF forces, the return of the displaced, the beginning of the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip and the completion of a serious exchange deal,” it added.
The statement came hours after Reuters reported that CIA Director William Burns had arrived in the Egyptian capital for meetings about the conflict in Gaza.
Burns has been to the region several times in recent weeks as efforts to achieve a hostage deal continue.
The CIA declined to comment, reflecting its policy of not disclosing the director's travel.
Also on Friday, Al Akhbar newspaper reported that following Hamas' failure to respond on Thursday night to the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal, the Egyptian and Qatari brokers requested additional time before a final answer is received.
According to the report, the brokers received clear signs that Hamas' response will almost certainly be negative, and that the terror group will not accept the existing plan.
On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that no progress has been made on a potential hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and blamed the terrorist organization for the failure to advance an agreement.
“There is a proposal on the table that answers much of the demands that Hamas made in previous rounds of negotiations. Israel made a significant offer in this last proposal that went forward [in which] they compromised on many long-held positions that they had taken, and as I said, met many of the demands that Hamas had said they needed to agree to a deal, so we believe it’s now incumbent upon them to take the deal. The deal that they demanded, that has been offered, they should accept and move forward," he said.
Miller was echoing sentiments expressed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Israel on Wednesday.
“Israel has made very important compromises in the proposal that’s on the table, demonstrating its desire, willingness to get this agreement, to get it done. Now, as we’ve been saying, it’s on Hamas. Hamas has to decide whether it will take this deal and actually advance the situation for the people that it purports to care about in Gaza. There is no time for delay; there is no time for further haggling. The deal is there; they should take it,” said Blinken.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)