A senior Hamas representative confirmed that the Palestinian group is dispatching a delegation to Cairo on Saturday, but they have chosen not to engage in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire discussions being held in the Egyptian capital.

Efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to broker an agreement to end the prolonged conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has lasted over 10 months, have been underway for months.

"The delegation will meet with top Egyptian intelligence officials to receive updates on the latest developments in the Gaza ceasefire talks. However, this does not indicate any involvement in the negotiations," the Hamas representative clarified. He spoke under the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The group had previously stated it would not participate in this round of talks, which began last week in Doha.

The decision to send a delegation follows recent comments from the United States indicating that some progress had been made during the latest discussions. Despite past optimism during ceasefire negotiations, none of the efforts have materialized into lasting peace. Currently, one of the primary obstacles is Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence on the border with Egypt.

Hamas has remained firm in its stance that Israel must withdraw its forces entirely from Gaza, including from the area along the Egyptian border known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israeli troops will continue to secure the corridor between Egypt and Gaza.

On Friday, U.S. officials, including the CIA director, were reported to be actively participating in talks in Cairo. They joined top officials from Israel’s security services in the ongoing efforts to bridge the gaps in the ceasefire negotiations.

An Egyptian source close to the talks indicated that discussions were being held in preparation for a more extensive round of negotiations set to begin on Sunday. The U.S. is reportedly exploring new ideas to find common ground between Hamas and Israel, as well as implementing strategies for a peace agreement.

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