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Hamas heads to Cairo
Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is travelling to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, with Hamas sources telling AFP and Anadolu that he is expected to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning.
“Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is travelling to Cairo”
The trip is framed as coming ahead of a planned Middle East visit by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Jared Kushner, who is set to travel next week to Israel and Egypt to narrow differences over a Gaza plan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected.
Al Jazeera reports that Israeli attacks have continued in Gaza, including Saturday Israeli fire that killed two Palestinians and wounded 14 others after air strikes, artillery shelling and demolitions in different parts of the strip, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health.
Al Jazeera also says more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, and that the overall death toll since October 2023 exceeding 73,300 is attributed to Palestinian official sources.
In the same context, Netanyahu formally rejected the Board of Peace plan last Sunday, saying Israeli forces “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed”.
Mediators, roadmap, and disputes
As the Cairo talks approach, Anadolu reports that a Hamas source said “a high-level leadership delegation headed by the movement’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya, will arrive tonight in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to hold talks with Egyptian officials.”
Anadolu adds that the delegation is set to meet Egyptian General Intelligence Service chief Hassan Rashad to discuss efforts to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and it names Mohammed Darwish, Khaled Meshaal, Zaher Jabarin, and Basem Naim as part of the senior leadership delegation.
In parallel, Al Jazeera quotes Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim saying, “We continue to await pressure from the mediators and the US side on Netanyahu and his government to compel him to abide by the roadmap,” as Netanyahu’s rejection of the 15-point plan remains central to the dispute.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Kushner and Nikolay Mladenov are expected to visit Israel and Egypt, and it says a Board of Peace official confirmed the trip to discuss the situation in Gaza.
The Jerusalem Post also states that Netanyahu had formally rejected the plan during a cabinet meeting, affirming that “the IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”
What’s at stake next
The sources tie the Cairo diplomacy to the implementation conditions of the Board of Peace framework, with Al Jazeera saying Kushner’s envoy trip aims to narrow differences over a Gaza plan that Netanyahu rejected and that Hamas had agreed to hand its weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee.
“conditioned any military withdrawal from Gaza on the "genuine" disarmament of Hamas”
Al Jazeera reports that the death toll in Gaza continues to rise alongside the stalled political process, stating that the overall death toll since October 2023 exceeding 73,300 is attributed to Palestinian official sources, while Israeli attacks continued after the ceasefire took effect in October last year.
TRT World describes the dispute over “phase two” of the ceasefire agreement, saying Israeli authorities rejected the 15-point plan approved by the “Peace Council” and conditioned any military withdrawal from Gaza on the “genuine” disarmament of Hamas.
TRT World also says Israel continues daily violations of the ceasefire in effect since October 2025, resulting in 1,258 Palestinians killed and 4,139 wounded.
In the same reporting thread, TRT World says Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the agreed roadmap while Egypt stressed the necessity of implementing all provisions, led by an Israeli withdrawal and humanitarian aid access.
