Hamas chief arrives in Cairo for talks on Israeli war on Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas on Tuesday said its chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo to hold talks on the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Palestinian resistance group said Haniyeh and his delegation is scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian officials on the political and on field situation in Gaza.

The talks will also follow efforts to stop the Israeli aggression in Gaza, it added.

Haniyeh's visit to Cairo comes as Qatari and Egyptian efforts continue with the aim of reaching a prisoner swap deal and a cease-fire in Gaza.

Hamas has repeatedly stated its pre-conditions for a prisoner swap deal are a complete cease-fire, Israeli army withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and rebuilding Gaza.

On Feb. 7, Hamas proposed a three-stage plan for a Gaza cease-fire that includes a 135-day pause in the fighting in return for the release of hostages, according to a Palestinian source.

The original framework agreement was worked out during a Paris meeting last month of top officials from the US, Israel, Qatar and Egypt.

Israel believes there are 134 Israelis being held in Gaza after the Israeli army had managed last week to free two Israelis held in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 29,000 and injured over 69,000 others.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara