A Hamas delegation left Cairo tonight, Ezzat Risk, one of its officials, said, as the United States, Egypt and Qatar try to broker a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement for a cease-fire in Gaza. .
Hamas envoys “met the Egyptian and Qatari mediators who briefed them on the results of the latest negotiations,” Risk said. His movement’s position remains unchanged: Hamas wants, as Risk reiterated, “a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal (of Israeli troops), the return of the displaced, the entry of humanitarian aid, reconstruction and an exchange agreement” between Palestinian prisoners and hostages in Gaza.
At the same time, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said the group was sticking to its July 2 proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, rejecting the new Israeli terms and saying talks of an imminent deal are bogus. “We will not accept discussions about withdrawals from what we agreed on July 2 or about new terms,” he said, speaking on Al-Aqsa television.
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