Cairo, Feb 14 (Representative) Negotiations on the Gaza Strip among Egypt, Israel, Qatar, and the United States in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, will continue for three more days, Egyptian broadcaster Al Qahera News reported on Tuesday, citing a source. The broadcaster reported earlier that US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns, the head of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Tuesday. The Financial Times reported, citing sources, that Burns and Burns may hold a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday to resume negotiations on an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas to cease fire and secure the release of hostages. “The atmosphere of the quadrilateral meeting in Cairo is positive.
Consultations will continue for the next three days,” the source told the broadcaster. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighbourhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and some 240 others were abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 28,400 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.