US, Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza ceasefire agreement

The US and Hamas have held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire, as part of efforts to advance a fragile US-brokered agreement, CNN reports, citing two Hamas sources.

A delegation led by senior US adviser Aryeh Lightstone met Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on the night of April 14, according to the sources. Lightstone was accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, officials said. When asked for comment by CNN, a State Department spokesperson said, “We don’t comment on ongoing negotiations.”

Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last September, reportedly pressed Lightstone on the necessity for Israel to fully carry out its obligations under the first phase of the deal — including halting strikes and allowing increased humanitarian aid — before progress can be made to the next stage.

The October-brokered truce ended two years of war in Gaza but left unresolved major questions about the territory’s future, including Hamas’s potential role in any future governance or security arrangement. Since then, Hamas has reasserted control over parts of Gaza not held by Israeli forces, while the Israeli military has continued conducting frequent strikes.

The April 14 meeting followed Lightstone’s recent talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed at securing Israel’s commitment to implement the first-phase terms of the ceasefire, according to a US source and a diplomat familiar with the discussions. One source said Israel agreed to fulfil those obligations if Hamas committed to disarmament.

Negotiations involving Hamas, the Board of Peace representatives, and international mediators have focused on the next stage of the ceasefire: Hamas disarmament, the deployment of an international force in Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the devastated enclave.

However, several sources said talks have repeatedly stalled due to disagreements over demands that Hamas disarm before Israel completes its phase-one commitments. Hamas and various international organisations operating in Gaza have accused Israel of failing to uphold its obligations, a claim Israel rejects while accusing Hamas of violations.

A senior Hamas source said the group considers the proposal unbalanced, stating that it “reduces the whole process to a single clause – disarmament – while other first phase obligations are postponed or marginalized.”

“The proposed paper reflects a major imbalance in the ordering of priorities: Israel’s security first, while Palestinians’ humanitarian, political, and administrative rights are postponed,” the source said.

The source also said Mladenov has been conveying Israel’s demands and warning that Israel could resume military operations if Hamas refuses to disarm.

“It even reached the point where Mladenov conveyed veiled threats: accept the paper or face a return to war,” the source noted.

By Jeyhun Aghazada