GAZA/CAIRO: A high-level Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to advance efforts on a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which has largely paused hostilities with Israel, two senior Hamas officials told AFP.
“The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials on Saturday to discuss the latest developments, assess progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement, and address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal,” one official said.
Hamas releases video showing captive Israeli soldier
Hamas has published a video of captive Israeli soldier Matan Angrest on its Telegram channel, Al Jazeera reports.
In the video likely shot last week, Angrest says he has been held for 511 days.
“The only way to bring us back is through the exchange deal and moving to the second stage,” the soldier also says.
He calls on the government of Israel, US President Donald Trump and the leaders of the Israeli army for his release.
Israeli drone strike kills 2 as Gaza ceasefire standoff continues
An Israeli drone strike has killed two people in Gaza, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding a fragile ceasefire deal that has halted fighting in the enclave for weeks, Reuters reports.
The Palestinian health ministry and officials at the Al-Ahly hospital said two people were killed in the Shejaia area of Gaza City.
The Israeli military says it has conducted an air strike targeting fighters planting an explosive device in northern Gaza, AFP reports.
“Earlier today, several terrorists were identified operating near IDF troops and planting an explosive device in the ground in northern Gaza,” the military said in a statement, adding an Israeli warplane struck the “terrorists in order to remove the threat”.
Muslim nations meet on Arab alternative to Trump Gaza plan
Meanwhile, the Muslim world will be asked to throw its weight behind an Arab counter-plan to US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to take over Gaza at an emergency meeting.
According to media reports, foreign ministers from the 57-member Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will meet at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League endorsed Egypt’s alternative plan for Gaza.
At Tuesday’s summit in Cairo, Arab leaders backed the proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority. However, the plan, which does not outline a role for Hamas, which controls Gaza, was rejected by both the United States and Israel.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said his country, a mediator in the Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks, would seek OIC support to make the counter-proposal “both an Arab plan and an Islamic plan”.
Endorsement by the OIC would, at the very least, signify unified opposition to Trump’s proposal, analysts said.
