Hamas: Meeting with Egyptian intel chief focused on completion of first ceasefire phase, operatives holed up in Rafah

Top Hamas officials met in Cairo today with Egypt’s intelligence chief and senior Gaza ceasefire mediator Hassan Rashad to discuss the completion of the comprehensive ceasefire plan’s first phase and the nature of its second phase, Hamas says in a statement.

In their meeting with Rashad, Hamas leaders Muhammad Darwish, Khaled Mashal, Khalil al-Hayya, Nizar Awdallah, Zaher Jabarin and Ghazi Hamed also discussed “ways to urgently address, via mediators’ efforts with the various parties,” the issue of dozens of Hamas operatives holed up underground in Israeli-controlled Rafah, Hamas says. It adds that contact with the operatives has been lost.

The statement comes after Israel on Friday killed or captured 17 operatives who tried to flee a tunnel in eastern Rafah. On Saturday, Israel carried out deadly strikes across Gaza in response to an attack on troops in the Strip’s south. According to Israel, the strikes killed several Hamas commanders.

The Hamas statement also comes after reports yesterday that the group informed mediators that the ceasefire was over.

Hamas, which denied the report, says in the statement today that it remains committed to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, “stressing the importance of ending the continuing Zionist violations… via a clear and specific mechanism sponsored and overseen by the mediators,” including the US, Qatar, and Turkey along with Egypt.

The mechanism would “report to mediators on any violations, so that necessary steps can be taken to spot them in immediately and prevent unilateral steps resulting in escalation,” says Hamas.

The first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan formed the basis of Israel and Hamas’s October 9 truce-hostage deal. The second phase would require Israel to withdraw further inside Gaza, and would see an International Stabilization Force and Trump-chaired Board of Peace start taking control of Gaza.