The Palestinian group Fatah announced Sunday that it is in talks with Hamas in Cairo concerning Egypt's proposals for reopening the Rafah border crossing.
"Fatah is keen on an immediate end to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, expediting aid delivery and initiating reconstruction," a Fatah official, Abdullah Abdullah, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"A Fatah delegation is present in Cairo discussing with a Hamas delegation Egyptian proposals related to reopening the Rafah border crossing (between Gaza and Egypt) and having the Palestinian Authority manage it on the Palestinian side," he said.
Cairo has kept the Egyptian side of the crossing closed since Israeli forces occupied the Palestinian side of it in May. It insists on ending the occupation of the crossing to reopen it.
Abdullah did not disclose the nature of the Egyptian proposals.
On Saturday, a Hamas delegation led by top official Khalil al-Hayya arrived in the Egyptian capital to meet with the head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency, Maj. Gen. Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
The newspaper reported Sunday that Cairo is attempting to strengthen reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah while simultaneously pushing for a hostage swap deal.
The report, citing media sources, added that Hamas is willing to accept a "gradual agreement" similar to the cease-fire deal that came into effect between Israel and Lebanon on Nov. 27. This would involve a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza rather than an immediate withdrawal as Hamas had previously demanded.
Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation discussed a cease-fire in Gaza with Egyptian intelligence officials, two officials from the Palestinian resistance group told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday.
They "discussed ways to stop the war and aggression, bring in aid, and open the Rafah crossing" at Gaza's border with Egypt, said a senior Hamas official.
A second Hamas official also present in Cairo told AFP that "Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye are making great efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange."
"Our Palestinian people are waiting for American and international pressure on (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to stop the war and reach an agreement as happened in Lebanon," the official added.
The meeting came shortly after Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah agreed on a cease-fire in Lebanon with mediation from the United States and France.
U.S. President Joe Biden will launch a renewed drive for a cease-fire, his national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week, adding Biden told his envoys to engage with Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt and other actors in the region.
The first official said Hamas was open to offers to reach "a cease-fire or a prisoner exchange deal," but had not received any.
He said any deal Hamas agrees to should include the conditions the movement has brought forward since the start of the war.
These include a full cease-fire, complete Israeli military withdrawal, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, "a serious deal to exchange prisoners in one go or in two stages", and reconstruction of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.ediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.
Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 last year has killed over 44,400 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 105,000.
The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.
On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
