Egypt is intensifying efforts this week to secure a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to a high-level source who spoke to state media AlQahera News on 6 July.
The source also confirmed that Cairo is hosting delegations from Israel and the United States to address unresolved issues in the truce negotiations.
No official statement has been released by Egypt, Israel, or the United States since then.
Egypt has been actively communicating with Hamas to facilitate the truce and negotiate the exchange of detainees and prisoners.
Hamas officials recently indicated that the group had given initial approval to a US-backed proposal for a phased ceasefire, anonymous Egyptian officials told state media on 5 July.
The Gaza-based group stated on 7 July that it is awaiting an Israeli response over the new ceasefire conditions after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation to negotiate a new hostage deal.
Mediating sides, which include Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, continue to push for an agreement that would halt Israeli attacks on Gaza and facilitate the exchange of captives held by Hamas.
Despite ongoing talks, Israel continues to launch airstrikes into Gaza. Yesterday, an Israeli airstrike targeting a United Nations school sheltering Palestinians killed 16 and injured dozens more.
The most recent truce talks in Cairo, held in early May, fell short after both sides could not reach an agreement on ceasefire terms.
There has been no ceasefire in Gaza since a one-week pause in November, during which 80 Israeli captives were released in exchange for 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
Since 7 October, over nine months ago, Israel has continuously bombarded Gaza and the Palestinians trapped in the strip – killing 38,098 people, many of whom were women and children, and injuring 87,705.
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