Hamas showing 'great flexibility' in Gaza Ramadan ceasefire talks

Hamas said on Wednesday that it is being flexible in trying to reach an agreement with Israel via mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza before Ramadan begins.

The group accused Israel of evading parts of an agreement that would lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Israel's war on Gaza has so far killed more than 30,700 people, with hospitals, ambulances, and people looking for humanitarian aid targeted.

A source in Hamas has told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a delegation from the group was in Cairo for talks and would leave on Tuesday after participating in three days of ceasefire negotiations.

The discussions seek to finalise a deal before Ramadan begins on Sunday or Monday. The war has been ongoing for more than 150 days.

Hamas official Bassem Naim said his group's delegation "presented a clear and specific vision", adding that there were "red lines that cannot be crossed".

The first non-negotiable was "agreement from the first day on a comprehensive, declared ceasefire with international guarantees even if it is implemented in stages", Naim said.

There must also be a "complete withdrawal of the Zionist enemy [Israel] from the territory it occupied after 7 October last year" and all displaced people must be allowed to return to their homes "from the first day", without "requiring any criteria related to age or geography".

While Hamas wants any deal to lead to a permanent end to hostilities, Israel is seeking only a pause in fighting to allow the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Three Egyptian security sources told Reuters that US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators were addressing this difference by offering separate guarantees to Hamas of peace talks to end the war.

An Israeli delegation was scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Wednesday to respond to Hamas's comments, an Egyptian source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Egypt has not yet definitively announced the end of the current round of negotiations, saying there is still a chance to reach an agreement before Ramadan begins.

Hamas's delegation is set to return to the Egyptian capital on Thursday, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's source in the group said, hoping to reach an agreement by then.

Reuters contributed to this report.