Hamas negotiators are due to travel to Cairo on Sunday as part of a new push for a ceasefire with Israel, as mediators attempt to seize momentum from the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon concluded last week, according to Arab media.

In addition to the issue of hostage release, reports cite negotiators as saying that the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt could be opened as early as this month.

The presence of Israeli forces in the Philadelphia corridor is one of the points of contention, with the military viewing this strategic asset as vital to preventing Hamas and other terrorist organizations from re-arming themselves with weapons smuggled from ‘Egypt.

Hamas this weekend released a video of Israeli-American Edan Alexander, kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Alexander implored Israeli and American leaders to move forward on a ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, his mother, Yael Alexander, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire. She said Netanyahu spoke to her and described conditions as ripe for a possible deal.