A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Tuesday for indirect talks with Egyptian officials regarding the Egyptian brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Salah El Bardawil, a spokesperson for Hamas said, “we have a delegation in Cairo talking with the Egyptians about the ceasefire agreement. We have sent the deputy chief of the political bureau, the interior minister and the minister of economy.”
El Bardawil stressed that these talks were indirect, saying, “the Egyptians are mediating and discussing the issues with both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.”
Paul Hirschson, a spokesperson for the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs said, “we have not engaged in indirect talks with Hamas. We are having conversations with the Egyptian side who are dealing with Hamas.
“There has been an ongoing dialogue between Israel and Egypt for decades now, currently there are a couple more issues on the table related to the ceasefire agreement,” said Hirschson. “We want to explore the best way to ensure the ceasefire holds.”
Hirschson added, “we have already addressed some issues regarding the ceasefire agreement by extending some fishing zones and discussing border issues.”
The Hamas delegation has been talking with Egyptian officials since Sunday regarding the ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced last Wednesday by Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The ceasefire ended eight days of hostilities between Hamas and Israel which cost the lives of four Israelis and over 160 Palestinians.
