Cairo/Gaza, 26 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) — The latest round of negotiations in Egypt for a ceasefire in the Gaza war are again at an impasse with a "difficult stalemate" in the talks, according to dpa diplomatic sources.

The 13-member Israeli delegation, which had arrived in Cairo just hours earlier, has left, dpa has learnt from sources at Cairo airport late on Sunday.

Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who travelled to Cairo to represent Qatar, has also left the Egyptian capital.

Representatives of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, who had travelled from Doha to be briefed on the progress of the talks indirectly, have also left.

As Hamas and Israel are not negotiating directly with each other, the US, Qatar and Egypt are acting as mediators.

A senior Hamas official stated that Israel must commit to the promises made in early July and to the peace plan proposed by US President Joe Biden. He said that Hamas was ready to implement the previously agreed-upon arrangements.

Part of any agreements on the war must include a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The talks have been stalled for months. As with the most recent round of negotiations in Qatar, the goal has been to bridge the differences between Hamas and Israel and reach a ceasefire agreement.

Dpa sources report that the question of whether Israeli troops may remain stationed along the Gaza-Egypt border in the event of a ceasefire remains a point of contention.

Israel suspects that Hamas has been using this border to smuggle weapons, while Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The talks in Cairo were overshadowed by mutual heavy attacks by Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon on Sunday morning. However, this did not have a direct impact on the course of the talks, sources said.

The ceasefire talks on the Gaza war are linked to the hope of stopping an expansion of the war to the broader the Middle East.

Israeli forces and the Hamas-allied militia Hezbollah have been engaging in exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah says its attacks are retaliation for the killing of its military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30.

There has so far been no announcement of when a potential new round of negotiations could take place.