A high-level Hamas delegation travelled to Cairo on Friday to advance efforts to prolong a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which has largely paused hostilities with Israel, two senior Hamas officials said.
“The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials on Saturday to discuss the latest developments, assess progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement and address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal,” one official told AFP.
During its talks with Egyptian mediators, the Hamas delegation will demand that Israel “implement the agreement, begin negotiations for the second phase, and open the border crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” he said.
The Palestinian group seeks a “comprehensive agreement that ensures a permanent and complete ceasefire,” the other official said.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli forces have carried out a number of attacks on mosques, particularly in Nablus and on Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque, as Palestinian Muslims mark the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.
In occupied East Jerusalem, Israel has imposed restrictions on Muslim worshippers hoping to pray at Al-Aqsa, only allowing some people aged over 50 and their young children from the occupied West Bank to enter the holy compound on Fridays during the holy month of Ramadan.
Those allowed are men age 55 and older, women age 50 and older and children up to age 12. They must also pass security screening and multiple checkpoints.
