Report: Egypt Sets 2-Week Deadline for Hamas Hostage Deal

By Yoni Weiss

Egypt has reportedly communicated to Hamas that a hostage-for-ceasefire agreement with Israel must be reached within the next two weeks, or Israel will intervene in Rafah, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Talks on this matter are scheduled to commence in Cairo on Tuesday, involving representatives from Israel, the U.S., and Qatar.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas leader, quoted by the Hamas-run Aqsa social media channel, warned that any Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would jeopardize the ongoing hostage exchange negotiations.

In response to the situation, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office has instructed the military to develop a plan for evacuating Rafah and dismantling four Hamas battalions stationed there.

A significant number of displaced individuals have sought refuge in Rafah, situated on the border with Egypt. Despite unsuccessful ceasefire talks, Netanyahu recently declared that Israeli forces would continue their operations.