The leaders of Qatar and Egypt met in Cairo on Friday to discuss efforts to de-escalate the violence in Gaza, provide humanitarian aid, and secure the release of Israeli hostages. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and delivering sufficient aid for the 2.3 million besieged residents.

Both Qatar and Egypt are demanding guarantees for the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a condition for any deal they help mediate. Qatar, which has been leading mediation between Hamas and Israeli officials, is working towards the release of more than 240 hostages taken by Hamas militants earlier this month. Meanwhile, Egypt has been involved in negotiations for aid provision and evacuations from Gaza.

The United States has announced that Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in the north of Gaza and the operation of corridors for civilian movement, but there has been no let-up in the fighting so far.