Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials, days after mediators said prospects for a new truce with Israel had dimmed, according to AFP citing the militant group.

The Qatar-based head of Hamas's political bureau will "hold discussions with Egyptian officials on the political situation and the situation in the field," the report said quoting a statement.

The delegation will also discuss "efforts to stop the aggression, provide relief to citizens and achieve the goals of our Palestinian people," it added.

Last week, Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators failed to make any progress in their efforts to halt more than four months of relentless fighting, despite a flurry of meetings with both Israeli and Hamas negotiators, the report added. 

"The pattern in the last few days is not really very promising," Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

In a statement on Saturday, Haniyeh renewed Hamas's demands, even though some of them have been dismissed as "delusional" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Hamas leader on Saturday accused Israel of impeding efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying that they "showed full flexibility in dealing with these issues, but it is clear so far that Israel continues to procrastinate in the negotiations."

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, February 13, 2024. /CFP)