Talks in Cairo to end Israel’s 323 day war on Gaza were the main topic of conversation on the airwaves last night: A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo yesterday to review any proposals that arise from ongoing negotiations between Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the US, but will not participate directly in the negotiations, which it has been boycotting for over a week. Instead, the delegation will meet with Egyptian intelligence officials to “hear the results” of the ongoing round of talks, the New York Times quotes a statement by Hamas as saying.

The talk shows were united in who to blame for the lack of a ceasefire agreement: “Whenever a breakthrough is near, Netanyahu introduces a new complication to delay negotiations,” said Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa said (watch, runtime: 0:59). “Everyone wants peace except for one person, and that is Netanyahu,” he said. Netanyahu wants to prolong the war until the US presidential elections on 5 November, hoping for Donald Trump’s victory to further his goals, Al Ahram’s Gamil Afifi said in a phone call with El Sa’a El Sadesa’s Azza Mostafa (watch, runtime: 5:52). The Israeli prime minister consistently derails negotiations by either setting prohibitive conditions or rejecting Hamas’ proposals, Afifi said, adding that Netanyahu ultimately aims to prolong negotiations by expanding the conflict’s regional scope.

El Sisi + Biden chat over the phone: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed the latest developments in ceasefire negotiations during a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Friday, according to an Ittihadeya statement. The pair stressed the need for all parties to remain flexible and committed to overcoming hurdles. Salet El Tahrir’s Faten Abdel Maaboud had coverage (watch, runtime: 2:11).

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