Hamas in Cairo as reports suggest significant progress in ceasefire talks

Crowds gather in support of Trinity students' Books of Kells blockade

Sam Mednick and Jack Jeffery

A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas is in Cairo as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in ongoing ceasefire talks with Israel while an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a truce.

Pressure has been mounting to reach a deal – Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is dramatically escalating while Israel insists it will launch an offensive into Rafah, the territory’s southernmost city.