However, the Islamist movement, which accepted the proposal presented by the mediators on Monday, stated in a letter to other Palestinian groups that Israel rejected the offer.
“Consequently, the ball is now completely in the occupation’s court”, states the text from Hamas, a group considered terrorist by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
The Egyptian channel Al Qahera News, close to the country’s intelligence service, reported that mediators continued efforts to “bring together the positions of the two sides” after the delegations left Cairo.
In a conversation with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, appealed to the parties for “flexibility and to mobilize all necessary efforts to reach a truce agreement”, his ministry said.
The war began on October 7 with Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which left more than 1,170 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli data.
Islamist militiamen also kidnapped more than 250 people in the attack. After the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in a truce in November, 128 people remain in captivity in Gaza, of whom 36 are believed to have died, according to Israeli authorities.
