An Israeli security delegation visited the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Monday, according to what the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (“Kan 11”) reported, as part of the ongoing talks in an attempt to reach a deal that would lead to the release of Israeli prisoners held by Palestinian resistance factions in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The report stated that the Israeli security delegation visited Cairo at noon and returned in the evening. He pointed out that the delegation arrived in the Egyptian capital on a private plane chartered by the Mossad on more than one occasion during recent months. The head of the agency, David Barnea, and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, boarded it on their trip to the French capital, Paris, yesterday.

According to Israeli reports, Cairo will witness a meeting, in the coming days, between the Qatari and Egyptian circles, with senior officials in the Hamas movement, to discuss the broad lines about which understandings were reached during the talks that took place in Paris, on Sunday, and present them to the movement’s officials.

Egyptian sources familiar with the movements regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip revealed, in exclusive statements to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that two separate meetings were held on Monday evening in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, one of which was between Egyptian officials and a delegation from the leadership of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Another with an Israeli delegation that included security and military figures.

An Egyptian source said that an Israeli delegation that included the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Occupied Territories, Ghassan Alyan, the Israeli Army’s envoy for hostages, Nitzan Alon, and the Coordinator for Hostage Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office, Gal Hirsch, arrived in Cairo on Monday evening, to discuss a group of outstanding issues, for which no consensus had been reached. regarding it at the Paris meeting on Gaza.

The Paris meeting included CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Egyptian General Intelligence Director Major General Abbas Kamel.

The source explained that the meeting is scheduled to discuss the thorny issue of the border region, which has led to an Egyptian-Israeli dispute over the past few days.

On the other hand, the source revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed another separate meeting between prominent officials in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service and leaders of the Hamas movement who have been in Cairo for several days, where the understandings that took place in the Paris meeting are scheduled to be delivered to the movement’s delegation. And discuss the initial movement observations.

The source explained that the movement’s delegation is scheduled to leave for Doha, before returning to Cairo again in the coming hours.

The Qatari Prime Minister, whose country plays a key role in mediation efforts, announced during a symposium in Washington on Monday that a proposal would soon be presented to Hamas regarding stopping the fighting in the Gaza Strip and releasing detainees.

In this context, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Monday that there is a “tremendous” national effort to create conditions for the return of detainees held by the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

This came during a press conference by Hagari, according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Hagari said, "There are 136 kidnapped women and men still detained in the Gaza Strip."

He added: "There is a tremendous national effort being made by the Israeli army, in cooperation with other security agencies, to create conditions for their return."

During the past few hours, talk has increased in the Hebrew media about the crystallization of a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, while the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the validity of these reports.

Netanyahu said in a brief statement issued by his office, “What was reported about the deal is incorrect and includes conditions that are unacceptable to Israel, and we will continue (the war) until absolute victory.”

Channel 13 reported on Monday that Israel “agreed to a humanitarian deal that includes the release of women and the elderly, as well as the wounded detained by Hamas in Gaza, but does not include soldiers and young detainees.”

It stressed that "Israel, within the framework of the same deal, will be forced to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including prisoners convicted by Tel Aviv of killing Israelis."

It continued: "Israel will agree to a temporary cessation of fighting for a period extending for two months or more, without committing to ending the war, according to the same source."

On Sunday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (official) said that the discussions held in the French capital, Paris, with the participation of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar to discuss a temporary truce, had ended, and there was progress in prisoner exchange negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas.

Regarding the discussions themselves, Netanyahu’s office later issued a statement in which he said, “The meeting was constructive, but there are still large gaps, which the two parties will continue to discuss this week in additional mutual meetings.”