Hamas says talks with mediators ongoing to ensure full Gaza ceasefire implementation

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) — Hamas said Friday that discussions with mediators are continuing in an effort to reach agreements that would guarantee the complete implementation of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, told Anadolu that talks involving Hamas, other Palestinian factions, and mediating parties — including Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar — are underway to finalize proposals tied to the full execution of the agreement.

“These discussions relate to the complete implementation of the ceasefire deal, covering what remains of the first phase as well as mechanisms for carrying out the second phase,” Qassem said.

He revealed that a joint delegation representing Hamas and allied Palestinian factions is expected to travel to Cairo in the coming days to present their formal response to newly proposed frameworks.

Qassem explained that the factions had previously arrived at understandings that mediators had endorsed, before Board of Peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov put forward what he termed “different approaches,” which Hamas and the factions are now giving a final review.

He said Hamas is engaging with the ongoing diplomatic process with “full national responsibility,” seeking to uphold the political rights of the Palestinian people and bring an end to what he described as the continuing genocidal campaign in Gaza.

“We hope the mediators’ efforts and those of Mr. Mladenov will result in pressuring the occupation to honor its commitments, particularly the humanitarian provisions of the first phase, before advancing to the second phase with all its complexities,” Qassem said.

He outlined that second-phase matters include establishing a national committee to oversee governance in the Gaza Strip, deploying international forces, and addressing the issue of Palestinian weapons.

Qassem urged that the national committee’s entry into Gaza be accelerated, reiterating Hamas’ “complete willingness to transfer all aspects of governance, including the security sector.”

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is a non-partisan body made up of Palestinian national figures, charged with managing day-to-day civil affairs. Though the committee began operating from Cairo in mid-January, it has yet to take up its responsibilities inside the territory.

Turning to conditions on the ground, Qassem accused Israel of carrying out severe and unrelenting breaches of the ceasefire, including obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries and continuing to kill Palestinians.

He noted that over 1,000 Palestinians have lost their lives since the truce took effect, adding that Israel had pushed the “yellow line” deeper into new parts of Gaza, bringing with it further displacement and the demolition of homes.

“These violations demand, first, a clear position from mediators to exert pressure on the occupation, and second, genuine efforts to bring the national committee into Gaza so that meaningful relief and rebuilding can get underway,” he said.

“We refuse to see the starvation policy inflicted on our people repeated while the world stands idle. The killing and destruction must not carry on while the international community looks the other way,” he added.

In September 2025, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan setting out a ceasefire framework that encompassed the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of a technocratic governing body, the deployment of an international stabilization force, and a call for Hamas to lay down its arms.

The first phase of the deal covered a truce and prisoner swap between Israel and Palestinian factions, a permanent ceasefire, and a phased Israeli pullout from the enclave. Israel, however, has violated the agreement on a near-daily basis.

Under the second phase, Israel is expected to carry out further withdrawals, while an international stabilization force would take over security duties, including overseeing the flow of humanitarian aid and reconstruction supplies.

Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded over 173,000, the majority of whom are women and children, according to Palestinian figures.

Since October 8, 2023, Israeli military operations and settler violence in the West Bank have killed 1,173 Palestinians, injured 12,666, led to the detention of approximately 23,000, and displaced 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures.