CAIRO: Hamas’s top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Egypt on Sunday at the head of a delegation set to engage in indirect talks with Israel.
The Palestinian movement said the delegation arrived “to begin negotiations on mechanisms for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces and a prisoner exchange”.
Meetings will take place Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh.
This will be Hayya’s first appearance since Israel targeted him and other Hamas leaders in strikes on Doha last month.
He broke his silence earlier on Sunday with a pre-recorded TV appearance that aired in Qatar.
Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to US President Donald Trump’s roadmap for an end to the fighting.
The plan involves releasing captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, though details remain to be ironed out.
The Israeli delegation will depart for Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Trump has sent two emissaries to help finalise the deal: his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Hayya made no mention of the talks or a possible ceasefire in his address Sunday.
He instead mourned his son and five others who were killed in the Doha strike.
Hamas’s top officials are believed to have survived the targeted strike on Doha.
The attack killed six people and sparked a wave of criticism.
It drew a rebuke from US President Donald Trump and an apology to Qatar from Netanyahu. – AFP