Hamas to meet Egyptian mediators over alleged Gaza truce violations by Israel

A delegation from Hamas is set to hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Sunday to address alleged Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, according to two officials from the Palestinian group.

Despite the ceasefire that took effect in October, violence has continued to unsettle the Palestinian territory.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the US-backed truce, which has largely halted the two-year war that devastated the enclave of 2.2 million.

“The delegation will meet Egyptian officials on Sunday morning to discuss halting Israeli violations and implementing the remaining provisions of the first phase of the agreement,” a Hamas official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly.

According to the official, Hamas will emphasise the need for Israel to cease all violations of the truce, dismantle its military positions in Gaza, fully reopen border crossings, increase the flow of travellers, and allow greater volumes of humanitarian aid into the territory.

The group is also expected to press for a US-established Gaza administrative body of Palestinian technocrats to enter the enclave and assume its governing responsibilities.

A second Hamas official added that the delegation would also meet representatives of other Palestinian factions in Cairo to discuss these issues.

In January, Washington announced that the ceasefire had moved into its second phase under a peace plan brokered by President Donald Trump.

This phase envisages the disarmament of Hamas and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

It also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, called the International Stabilisation Force, to which several countries have committed troops.

Hamas says it is not opposed to handing over part of its arsenal, but only as part of a Palestinian political process.

Meanwhile, violence persists in Gaza.

On Saturday, the territory’s civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, reported that Israeli airstrikes killed seven people in a northern district.

The Israeli military said it had struck an “armed terrorist cell”. It said militants had approached what is known as the Yellow Line, the de facto boundary dividing Gaza into two zones: one under Israeli military control and one under Hamas control.

At least 749 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is also under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli army has reported five soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the truce.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.