INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hamas said on Friday it was sending a delegation to Cairo to discuss a deal for a truce and the release of hostages in Gaza, hours after
United States CIA Director William Burns arrived in the Egyptian capital, Reuters reported.Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States,
has been leading efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to broker a deal for a ceasefire in the conflict that began on Oct
7The Hamas and CIA officials will meet Egyptian mediators on Saturday, an Egyptian security source said, though it was unclear whether they
would meet separately or together.Hamas said its delegates were traveling to Cairo in a &positive spirit& after studying the latest proposal
for a truce agreement.We are determined to secure an agreement in a way that fulfils Palestinians& demands,& Hamas said in a statement.A
United States official said the United States believed there had been some progress in talks but was still waiting to hear more.The CIA
declined to comment, reflecting its policy of not disclosing the director&s travel.Ceasefire talks have continued for months without a
Israel has said it is determined to eliminate Hamas, while Hamas says it wants a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from
Gaza.Egypt made a renewed push to revive negotiations late last month
Cairo is alarmed by the prospect of an Israeli ground operation against Hamas in Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than 1 million people
have taken shelter near the border with Egypt&s Sinai Peninsula.Egyptian sources say both sides have made some concessions recently, leading
to progress in the talks, though Israel has continued to say an operation in Rafah is imminent.The war began after Hamas staged a
7 in which 1,200 people in southern Israel were killed and 253 hostages taken, according to Israeli tallies.More than 34,000 Palestinians
have been killed and more than 77,000 have been wounded by Israeli fire during a campaign that has laid waste to the coastal enclave,
according to Gaza&s health ministry.A major Israeli operation in Rafah could deal a huge blow to fragile humanitarian operations in Gaza and
put many more lives at risk, according to U.N
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