© Mary Jo Pitzl/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syndication: Arizona Republic
(Cairo, Egypt) — Hamas has sent a delegation to ceasefire talks in Cairo today. Israel has reportedly signed off on the plan, that would call for a ceasefire in return for the release of the hostages Hamas has been holding since the surprise October 7th attack on Israel. Insiders say the talks currently taking place are the most serious since the war began. The U.S, Egypt and Qatar are negotiating with Israel and Hamas. They want to get a deal done before Israel carries though on a promised military assault on Rafah in Gaza.
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at length by phone Sunday night. According to a readout of the call, they discussed increases in humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip.
The niece of an Israeli-American hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza believes a hostage deal can be reached. Hanna Siegel says the Biden administration has shown it’s committed to getting the hostages home. Siegal is the niece of Keith Siegel, who has been held hostage by the militant group for more than six months. Hamas released a video of Israeli hostages over the weekend, including Keith Siegel. He was kidnapped along with his wife during the October 7th attack on Israel. His wife, Aviva was released after 53 days in captivity.
