A senior Hamas delegation traveled to Cairo to meet Egypt’s intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad, to protest what the movement called repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire and to seek urgent measures to protect fighters and civilians in Gaza.
Hamas said the delegation, which included Khalil al-Hayya, its exiled Gaza chief, reiterated the group’s commitment to implementing phase one of the ceasefire but accused Israel of ongoing breaches that risk undermining the deal. The movement called for a clearly defined, supervised mechanism to record and stop violations.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States are mediating between Hamas and Israel and helped negotiate the truce that came into effect last month. Hamas said its talks with Egypt also addressed the plight of fighters sheltering in tunnel networks around Rafah in sectors now under Israeli control, and warned that communications with those fighters had been cut.
The meeting came after a series of Israeli air strikes across Gaza that Palestinian health authorities said killed at least 24 people, including children, and destroyed homes, makeshift shelters and a vehicle. The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas operatives after an alleged infiltration into Israeli-controlled Gaza and that a local Hamas commander was killed. Hamas denied the infiltration charge and accused Israel of using alleged incidents as a pretext for targeting civilians, urging mediators to pressure Israel to halt what it called violations immediately.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israel had breached the ceasefire nearly 500 times since it began on October 10 and alleged that those incidents had killed roughly 342 civilians, with women, children and the elderly accounting for the majority of victims.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum described residents’ fear that strikes could spread further, saying attacks have continued beyond the so-called yellow line—areas under Israeli control. He reported widespread demolition of civilian infrastructure and landmarks, leaving parts of the city devastated, and noted local skepticism about moving to phase two of the deal until it is clear the ceasefire holds and humanitarian aid and reconstruction increase meaningfully.
Phase one of the truce, drawn from a plan associated with former US President Donald Trump, calls for exchanges of captives and prisoners, sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance and opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Hamas has released the remaining living captives in its custody and returned dozens of bodies, except for three. Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including some serving life sentences. Humanitarian groups say restrictions on border crossings continue to hamper aid flows, and Israel has so far declined to open Rafah.
Phase two envisions governance of Gaza by a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by a Trump-led board of peace. That board would deploy a temporary International Stabilisation Force to secure border areas, train Palestinian police and work toward demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas has said it will not surrender its arms while the Israeli occupation continues.
The Trump plan also states that no Palestinians would be forced to leave Gaza and that Israel would not occupy or annex the territory; the package has been formally endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. As mediators continue shuttle diplomacy, Hamas and its backers pressed for clarity and mechanisms to prevent further breaches and protect civilians while the truce remains fragile.