Hamas mulls possible resumption of hostage negotiations
Israel has not ruled out the possibility of sending a delegation for talks on a potential deal, but has made clear that no decision has been made yet.
Hamas has begun preliminary discussions on the possibility of resuming stalled hostage negotiations, a senior Hamas official, Taher al-Nunu, said in Cairo on Wednesday, ahead of meetings scheduled to start on Thursday.
These talks, he noted, would focus on “ways to stop the war in the Strip, allow the entry of aid, and end the suffering of the people in Gaza.”
A Hamas leadership delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to hold talks with senior Egyptian officials.
This is the first such visit since last week’s decision by the security cabinet to launch an operation to capture Gaza City.
Despite the visit, an Israeli official said that so far, there has been no new message from the terrorist organization regarding the prospect of an agreement.
Hamas terrorists carrying clubs and firearms secure humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya on June 25, 2025. (credit: TPS-IL)
Israel has not ruled out the possibility of sending a delegation for talks on a potential deal but has made it clear that no decision has been made yet.
While mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to formulate a framework that would include the release of all hostages and an end to the war, the possibility of negotiating a partial deal – involving the release of only 10 hostages – has not been ruled out.
A partial deal
“We are now at the stage of one full deal, not returning to a partial deal… I want to bring everyone back, but under the conditions of ending our war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with i24NEWS on Tuesday.
If the partial deal is brought back to the table, Israel will consider discussing it, Israeli officials said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Thursday is expected to present Defense Minister Israel Katz with the operational options for capturing Gaza City.
Estimates suggest it would take at least three months to evacuate the roughly one million residents of the city, which would only be the first stage of the operation.
