Hamas team in Cairo for talks, with ceasefire deal ‘on the table'

Israel has given approval, says Washington, though questions remain over hostages

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CAIRO/RAFAH, Gaza Strip - A delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo on March 3 for crunch talks on a Gaza ceasefire, billed as a potential final hurdle towards an agreement that would halt the fighting for six weeks.

Washington said a ceasefire deal was already "on the table", approved by Israel and awaiting only a sign-off from the militants. But the warring sides gave away little information on the state of any progress.

After the Hamas delegation's arrival in Cairo, a Palestinian official said the deal was "not yet there". From the Israeli side, there was no official confirmation, not even that its delegation was attending.

One source briefed on the talks had said Israel could stay away from Cairo unless Hamas first presents a full list of hostages who are still alive, a demand that a Palestinian source said Hamas had so far rejected as premature.

Still, a US official told reporters: "The path to a ceasefire right now, literally at this hour, is straightforward. And there's a deal on the table. There's a framework deal." An agreement would bring the first extended truce of the war, which has raged for five months, with just a week-long pause in November.