Rhino: Reuters – Egypt remains committed to helping negotiate a ceasefire deal and release hostages held in the Gaza Strip despite skepticism about its mediation efforts, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Thursday, adding that Cairo is in contact with Israel to set a date for a new round of talks.

Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying for months in intermittent talks to reach an interim agreement between Israel and Hamas that would lead to a truce in Gaza and the gradual release of Israeli hostages held in the strip.

On Wednesday, Egypt threatened to pull out of the mediation role amid tensions over the latest round of talks and an Israeli military incursion into the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

Egyptian mediators received phone calls from Israeli security officials on Wednesday and Thursday thanking Cairo for its role, the sources said.

During the calls, the Egyptians expressed their desire to finalise negotiations on Gaza and agreed to set a date for the talks.

After a meeting of Israel’s war cabinet late Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, ‘The war cabinet instructed the negotiating team to continue negotiations for the return of the hostages.

The Israeli attack on Rafah and Israel’s decision to take over operations at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has angered Cairo, which is concerned about any mass exodus of Palestinians as a result of the war.

The US has called on Egypt to facilitate the resumption of aid deliveries through the Rafah crossing, but Cairo says it needs to return the Palestinian side of the crossing to Palestinian control in order to allow the resumption of aid deliveries.