The US and Hamas held their first direct conversations since the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to advance the shaky US-brokered agreement, according to two Hamas officials. A group led by senior US advisor Aryeh Lightstone met with chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Tuesday night, according to reports. According to officials, Lightstone was accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza. When contacted for comment by CNN, a State Department official stated, “We don’t comment on ongoing negotiations.”
Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar’s capital Doha last September, pressed Lightstone on the need for Israel to fully implement its commitments to the first phase of the agreement, including the cessation of strikes and the entry of more humanitarian aid, in order to move on to the next phase, according to the sources.
The October truce ended two years of conflict in Gaza, but it failed to address fundamental questions regarding the future of the destroyed area, particularly Hamas’ role in future security or governance. Hamas has reclaimed control of the sector of Gaza not controlled by Israel, and the Israeli military has continued to conduct frequent strikes in the area.
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