Israel announced that its security negotiating delegation returned today, Tuesday, from the Egyptian capital, where it held a new round of talks in an attempt to conclude a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas under the condition of an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government said, in a statement issued by the office of its president, Benjamin Netanyahu, that “in the framework of the talks in Cairo, the mediators drafted a new proposal (waiting) for Hamas’ response,” without revealing the details of the alleged new proposal.

While it indicated that the Israeli negotiating delegation, which included representatives of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Israeli army, held “intensive talks” during this round, the statement said that Israel expects the mediators to “make a greater effort” to pressure Hamas.

It claimed that "the State of Israel continues to make all necessary efforts to release the hostages from the grip of Hamas and return them to Israel," and pointed out that "Egyptian mediation is useful in pushing the negotiations forward with the aim of reaching an agreement."