Gaza, June 30 (IANS) Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh discussed with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel the course of ongoing negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
During a phone call on Saturday, Kamel also extended his condolences to Haniyeh for the killing of his older sister and other relatives in an Israeli airstrike a few days ago, according to a press statement issued by Hamas, Xinhua news agency reported.
The call came after Israel’s Hebrew public radio Kan reported that the US administration presented a revised version of a prisoner exchange deal that includes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The new offer is based on the proposal approved by the then-Israeli war cabinet and presented by US President Joe Biden last month, the radio said.
On Friday, a Hamas source said the movement received a new message from the US regarding the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, noting that the message was passed through intermediaries to continue negotiations for a truce in Gaza.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators, in addition to the United States, are seeking to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a second truce between Israel and Hamas, following the first truce that lasted a week until early December 2023.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
–IANS
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