Israeli delegation returns early from Cairo talks on Gaza truce: report

JERUSALEM, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Israel’s delegation returned from Cairo on Monday after participating in talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported.
The discussions, attended by Israeli and Egyptian security officials, followed a weekend meeting in Doha between Israeli officials and Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. mediators, where the new deal proposal to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in return for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, was presented.
Officials from the Israeli negotiation team told Kan that the delegation left Cairo just hours after the talks began on Monday morning. They said the government’s mandate for discussing concessions was “too limited” and needed to be expanded to reach an agreement.
The talks in Cairo focused on Israel’s demand to maintain control over the so-called “Philadelphi Corridor,” a buffer zone along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has repeatedly conditioned the release of hostages on a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave. ■