News, protests in universities and more

Egyptian and Israeli officials told CNN on Friday that Egyptian representatives were in Israel in an effort to push through stalled talks to free hostages and enforce a ceasefire in Gaza.

The delegation is also ready to continue talks with Israeli officials on security coordination around a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, another Israeli official said.

Egypt is concerned about the implications of a large-scale Israeli operation in Rafah, near its border, where a million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in recent months.

Despite months of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, Hamas and Israel failed to reach an agreement due to disagreements over key demands.

A senior US administration official said on Thursday there were “some signs of a path” to brokering a deal.

The latest draft presented in several rounds of talks in Qatar and Egypt includes a six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Hamas's main demand is the “unhindered” return of Palestinians displaced from southern Gaza to the north.

The US official said the draft agreement contained that element, but confirmed that “provisions are in place” to guarantee the safety of returnees.

“That means shelter, that means aid. That means the UN mission to make sure things are ready,” the official said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya reiterated other key demands previously rejected by Israel as basic conditions for any deal.

Al-Hayya said Hamas “cannot reach an agreement” without a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

“Despite the disaster [en Gaza]…it is impossible for us to release [a los rehenes] For a bad exchange, this can lead to an offensive restart [israelí] Or war against our people,” he said.

Israel has said its operation in Gaza will continue until Hamas is eliminated.

As negotiations drag on, the death toll in Gaza continues to rise and families of hostages in Israel grow desperate. Qatar, a key mediator, this week questioned the seriousness of Israel and Hamas in reaching a deal.

Points of conflict in the negotiation

One of them is the number of Israeli hostages who are scheduled to be released in the first phase of the deal. After admitting 40 hostages, including all women and sick and elderly men, Hamas indicated there were not enough live hostages to be released, according to another Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions.

“We often hear things from Hamas leaders abroad [de Gaza] “It does not reflect the Hamas leaders inside, who seem determined to keep the hostages underground,” said a senior US administration official.

In a rare joint statement Thursday, the leaders of 18 countries, including the United States, urged Hamas to accept the terms of the deal and release the hostages that would provide needed additional humanitarian aid to Gaza and lead to a credible end to hostilities.”

A senior Hamas official criticized the statement as a display of “contradictory international politics” and called on signatories to pressure Israel to accept the deal.

“Their sons and daughters are no more valuable than us,” declared Bassam Naim.

Zeena Saifi contributed to this report.