Israel to send delegation to Egypt for hostage swap negotiations

It has been stated that Israel will send a delegation to Egypt for hostage swap negotiations expected to take place today.

According to a report on Israel's Channel 12 television, the indirect negotiations being conducted between the Tel Aviv administration and Hamas for a hostage swap are set to continue in Cairo today.

It was stated that the delegation participating in the Cairo talks includes David Barnea, head of the foreign intelligence service Mossad, and Ronen Bar, director of the internal security agency Shin Bet (Shabak).

Local media reported that Israel, which rejected the hostage swap agreement proposed by Hamas, is sending a delegation to Cairo due to pressure from the US. The reports noted that US President Joe Biden "encouraged" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send a delegation to Cairo for negotiations during their phone call on February 11.

Talks were held in Paris, the capital of France, on January 28 as part of the negotiations for a new hostage swap between Israel and Hamas.

In addition to Barnea and Bar, the meeting was attended by US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Bill Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel.

Following the talks in Paris, Hamas presented a plan on February 7 that envisioned a 3-stage hostage swap and ceasefire.

Netanyahu, however, rejected Hamas's proposal at a press conference on February 8 and stated that they had ordered the army to prepare for an attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.