Sources: Hamas and Qatar teams in Cairo for talks on Gaza deal
Teams from the Palestinian militant group Hamas and mediator Qatar arrived in the Egyptian capital on Saturday for further talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel, sources at the Cairo airport said.
Both teams arrived aboard a flight from Qatar, they added.
Egypt's state-affiliated television al-Qahera News also reported the arrival of a Hamas delegation in Cairo and cited "significant progress" in negotiations to reach the deal.
The broadcaster, citing what it termed as a high-level source, said the Egyptian security team engaged in the negotiations had reached a "consensus formula" on several contentious issues. No specific details were given.
Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip from the ground and air since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel in October of last year that left about 1,200 people dead.
As part of the latest mediation efforts, Hamas, which abducted some 250 people from Israel on October 7, was presented with a proposal for a ceasefire in return for the release of remaining hostages. A response is still pending.
More than 100 hostages were released during a six-day truce in November. It is unclear how many of those remaining in captivity are still alive.
As of Friday, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said the death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks since the war began stood at 34,622, which was 26 more than the prior day.
Months of mediation by Egypt, Qatar and the United States in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have yet to result in a breakthrough. A diplomatic push to clinch a deal has picked momentum over the past days.
Late Friday evening, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at an event in Arizona that it was challenging to understand Hamas' thought process.
"The leaders of Hamas that we're indirectly engaged with through the Qataris, through the Egyptians, are of course living outside of Gaza, living in Qatar or living in [Turkey], other places, and the ultimate decision makers are the folks who are actually in Gaza itself with whom none of us have direct contact," he said.
Blinken said if Hamas was really concerned about the well-being of the Palestinians, then agreeing to the ceasefire deal that is on the table should be a "no-brainer."
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out an airstrike on a rocket launch site in the southern Gaza Strip.
Fighter jets hit the militant site near the city of Khan Younis after a rocket was fired from there toward the Ein HaShlosha kibbutz on Friday, the IDF said.
In addition, a mortar launching site in central Gaza was also destroyed, a statement said.
The Israeli navy has also conducted strikes along Gaza's coast over the past day.
According to Palestinian security services, the Israeli army attacked a building in the village of Abasan in the east of Khan Younis and shelled refugee camps in the central part of the Palestinian territory.
It said at least one Palestinian was killed in the the Israeli navy strikes.
