Hamas Agrees to Meet With Mediators in Cairo Ahead of Cease-Fire Talks

Hamas representatives were heading to Cairo on Saturday to meet with mediators before a new round of Gaza cease-fire talks, as the United States, Qatar and Egypt push to reach an agreement they hope can stave off the growing threat of regional war.

The fighting in Gaza has raged on even as high-stakes efforts for a deal intensify, with Israeli strikes overnight killing dozens, according to Gazan health authorities. On Friday, the Israeli military announced that at least one soldier had been killed and several others wounded in fighting in central Gaza.

While U.S. officials have insisted there is progress in negotiations, the main warring parties, Israel and Hamas, have been far more pessimistic. In late July, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, stiffened Israel’s position on several key issues, including by demanding a postwar Israeli presence along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Hamas said in a statement that its delegation would arrive in Cairo on Saturday evening to “hear the results” of a recent round of discussions between Israel, Egypt and the United States. It said it was willing to move ahead with a proposal from early July, before Mr. Netanyahu set out his new conditions.

Negotiators have been pushing for a major summit as early as Sunday to press ahead with the talks. Hamas did not specifically say whether it would participate; its officials did not join a similar round of discussions in Qatar earlier this month, calling it pointless given the new Israeli demands. But the visit to Cairo leaves the door open for further talks.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited Israel, Egypt and Qatar this week to push a “bridging proposal,” which aims to close the gaps between Israel and Hamas. But the proposal does not tackle several key sticking points.