The United States and Hamas held direct talks for the first time since the Gaza ceasefire. This was reported by two Hamas sources who spoke with CNN. According to the sources, Aryeh Lightstone, an advisor to the Trump administration currently residing in Tel Aviv, met with Khalil al-Hayya. The meeting took place on Tuesday in Cairo and was also attended by international envoy Nikolai Mladenov, who heads the Gaza Peace Council. CNN noted that the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the sources' statements.

