Cairo Negotiations: Al-Hayya Heads Hamas Delegation... Kushner, Witkoff, and Dermer to Join "According to Developments"

SadaNews - The head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Hayya, is leading the negotiating delegation arriving in Cairo this evening, Sunday, in its first move after he survived an Israeli assassination attempt that targeted the movement's delegation in Doha on September 9.

Leadership sources within the movement told "Al-Arabi Al-Jadid" newspaper that Al-Hayya is heading an expanded delegation with a dual political and organizational mandate, stating that the delegation will be divided into two teams: one will engage in negotiations regarding prisoner exchanges and ceasefire.

The other team will hold internal Palestinian meetings aimed at ending the division and unifying the national position. The sources indicated that the initial negotiations will address issues related to prisoner exchanges, security guarantees, and the mechanisms for implementing any agreement.

They emphasized that the delegation will request an immediate ceasefire from the mediators coinciding with the start of talks. The sources also stressed the movement's rejection of any formula for international management of the Gaza Strip, confirming that Arab support remains in place for a previous resolution to form a Palestinian-Arab committee to support Gaza's administration, which has received backing from the Arab League.

On the other hand, a senior Egyptian source stated that the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, responsible for the negotiation file, has imposed exceptional security measures on the movements of the Hamas delegation and their accommodations in Cairo, noting that the Egyptian authorities have decided for the first time to adopt tight security measures and use electronic jamming systems around the meetings of the negotiating delegation.

In his first appearance after the assassination attempt in Doha, Al-Hayya said in a video clip broadcast by Al-Arabi TV last night, Saturday, that "the killing and destruction in Gaza have made me forget the pain of losing my children," adding, "I do not differentiate between my children and any Palestinian child killed by the occupation."

Israel carried out an airstrike on September 9 targeting the Hamas leadership delegation in the Qatari capital, which resulted in the martyrdom of Al-Hayya's office director Jihad Labad and his son Hamam, along with three of his companions, while Al-Hayya and some leaders survived.

The visit of the Hamas delegation to Cairo coincides with Egypt's announcement of hosting two delegations from Israel and Hamas next Monday, as part of its ongoing efforts to end the Israeli war on the Strip in coordination with regional and international mediators.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the meetings aim to end the ongoing war for two years and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, indicating that the discussions are based on former US President Donald Trump's plan to end the fighting and exchange prisoners.

For his part, Netanyahu stated that he instructed the Israeli negotiation team to head to Cairo for negotiations lasting several days, while Hamas announced it submitted its response to the mediators regarding Trump's plan, confirming its agreement to release all living and deceased Israeli prisoners.

US President Donald Trump urged the movement to expedite the implementation of his plan, warning through his platform "Truth Social": "I will not tolerate any delays or results that keep Gaza a continuing threat. Let's get this done quickly."

In this context, Israeli public broadcasting reported that the scheduled negotiation talks in Egypt will begin tomorrow, Monday, without the participation of US envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Israeli minister Ron Dermer.

The channel reported that informed sources on the file indicated that the three figures will join the negotiations later "according to developments in the talks," which means that negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain in their early stages and have not yet led to understandings that pave the way for a final agreement.