A team of Israeli officials has arrived in Cairo to continue to assess the truce deal accepted by Hamas, the Israeli prime minister said. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have continued operations in Rafah.

A team of Israeli negotiators has arrived in Cairo for talks on a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening.

He said he had instructed the Israeli delegation to “stand firm on the conditions necessary for the release” of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack, and on “essential requirements for guaranteeing Israel’s security.”

The team’s goal is to assess whether the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas can be persuaded to change its latest cease-fire offer, a senior Israeli official told Reuters earlier.

“This delegation is made up of mid-level envoys. Were there a credible deal in the offing, the principals would be heading the delegation,” the official said.

Hamas said on Monday it had accepted a truce plan proposed by mediators Egypt and Qatar.

The team’s arrival in the Egyptian capital came hours after Israeli tanks took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Source: Dw