A senior delegation from Hamas has met Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo to discuss Israel’s breaches of the ceasefire agreement, the group said, as Palestinians in Gaza held funerals for dozens of people killed in recent Israeli attacks.
In a statement on Sunday, the group said it reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in its meeting with Hassan Rashad, but accused Israel of “continued violations” that it said threatened to “undermine the deal”.
Hamas, whose delegation included its exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, called for a “clear and defined mechanism” under the supervision of mediators to document and halt any breaches of the deal.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating between Hamas and Israel, securing the ceasefire that came into effect last month.
The Palestinian group said it also discussed with Egypt ways to urgently resolve the issue of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnel networks in Rafah in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.
It said communication with the fighters has been severed.
The meeting came a day after Israeli forces launched a wave of air attacks across Gaza, destroying homes, makeshift shelters and a car, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas members after the group sent a fighter into Israeli-controlled Gaza territory to attack Israeli soldiers there. The military said a local Hamas commander was among those killed in the Saturday strikes.
Hamas has rejected the allegations, saying Israel was looking for an excuse to kill. The group on Saturday called on the mediators – Egypt, Qatar and the US – to intervene urgently and exert pressure on Israel to “immediately halt these violations”.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel has violated the ceasefire at least 497 times since it came into effect on October 10.
Some 342 civilians have been killed in the attacks, with children, women and the elderly accounting for the majority of the victims, it said.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Gaza City, said Palestinians there fear an expansion of Israel’s attacks.
“It’s very hard to tell that there’s a letup in terms of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. We are seeing continuous attacks beyond the ‘yellow line’, which are the areas under Israeli control. We are seeing demolition and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure and landmarks, and the turning of this area into a barren landscape,” Abu Azzoum said.
“People here are concerned about the potential expansion of Israel’s attacks to other areas in Gaza in the coming days. People are also sceptical of the possibility of moving from phase one of the ceasefire to phase two as they are still waiting to see if the deal can be sustained and if there will be advancements in terms of the flow of humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts,” he added.
Phase one of the ceasefire – based on US President Donald Trump’s peace plan – involves the exchange of captives and prisoners, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
So far, Hamas has released all remaining living captives and returned dozens of bodies, except for three. Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including prisoners serving life sentences. But it has placed restrictions on border crossings that continue to impede the delivery of aid, according to humanitarian groups.
Israel has also refused to allow the Rafah crossing to open.
Phase two of the ceasefire meanwhile calls for Gaza to be governed under a technocratic Palestinian committee, with oversight and supervision of the Trump-led “board of peace”. The board is to also deploy a temporary International Stabilisation Force to secure border areas, train Palestinian police and also demilitarise Gaza.
Hamas, however, says it will not lay down weapons as long as the Israeli occupation continues.
Tump’s plan also says no Palestinian would be forced to leave Gaza and that “Israel will not occupy or annex” the territory.
The plan has now been endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.
