Two Hamas sources told CNN that the group and the United States held direct talks for the first time since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip began, in an effort to advance the agreement.
A U.S. delegation led by Aryeh Lightstone, an adviser to the Trump administration who currently resides in Tel Aviv, met with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Tuesday night. Lightstone was joined by Nikolay Mladenov, who heads the Gaza Peace Council. According to the report, al-Hayya pressed Lightstone to ensure that Israel fully meets its commitments under the first phase of the deal — including halting strikes and allowing more humanitarian aid — so that it would be possible to move to the next stage.
1 View gallery
Ceasefire has not moved on to the next stage
(Photos: Alex Brandon/AP, Amir Cohen/Reuters, Khalil Hamra/AP, Nathan Howard/Reuters)
The meeting took place after Lightstone also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in order to secure Israel’s commitment to fully implement its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, a U.S. source and a diplomat familiar with the meeting said. One of them added that Israel agreed to fulfill these demands if Hamas commits to disarm.
Meanwhile, meetings between Hamas officials, representatives of the Gaza Peace Council and international mediators have sought to reach understandings on the next phase of the ceasefire agreement. Discussions have included the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international force in the Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
However, several sources said the talks have repeatedly stalled over demands that Hamas agree to disarm before Israel fulfills its commitments under the first phase of the deal. Hamas and several international organizations operating in Gaza have claimed that Israel is not upholding its part of the agreement — assertions denied in Jerusalem, where officials accused the group of violating the deal.
A senior Hamas source said the group views the proposal as “unbalanced,” and one that “reduces the entire process to a single clause — disarmament — while other commitments of the first phase are postponed or pushed aside.” The source added that Mladenov has begun conveying Israel’s demands and warned that the Israeli military would resume fighting in the Strip if Hamas does not agree to disarm.
First published: 13:51, 04.16.26