One of the billboards of Hamas hostages that were taken taken down in London. Photo: Provided

i24 News – An Israeli delegation departed on Sunday for Cairo to continue working on a ceasefire and hostage deal, i24NEWS learned. The delegation comprised officials from Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as the Shin Bet and Mossad agencies.

There is no new proposal, it is understood, and the negotiators will try to thrash out a deal based on a template already rejected by Hamas.

The issues in contention include allowing Gazans to return to the largely evacuated and abandoned Gaza City, as per Hamas demand; IDF believe that this would see Hamas terrorists entrench themselves anew in the city.

Hamas, the jihadist group whose October 7 massacre of Israelis sparked the ongoing war, also demands that the IDF retreat from the coastal enclave; Israel is unlikely to agree to this, it is understood.