Cairo.- Egypt hosts this Saturday a new round of negotiations between a delegation from the Islamist movement Hamas, Egyptian officials, and representatives of the Qatari and American mediators with the goal of initiating the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which has been stalled for months.
An Egyptian security source, who requested anonymity, pointed out to EFE that the talks, which began today in Cairo, “are focused on stopping the repeated Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip, the Israeli violations of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement and the assassinations perpetrated by Israel against members and leaders of Hamas.”
Likewise, “the appropriate mechanisms to advance to the second phase of the agreement are being debated in such a way that the continuity of the ceasefire is guaranteed and pending issues are addressed,” the informant indicated.
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The source added that the Hamas delegation plans to hold a series of meetings in the coming days with Palestinian factions and forces “to reach a unified national position on the issues under negotiation and agree on mechanisms to address the political and field challenges facing the Palestinian people at this stage.”
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Yesterday, a delegation of the Hamas leadership arrived in Cairo, the movement confirmed in a statement, adding that its representatives will hold talks starting this Saturday that will extend over several days.
During April and May of this year, several Hamas delegations traveled to the Egyptian capital to discuss the implementation of the agreement, but differences between both parties regarding security guarantees and the sequence of commitments have prevented significant progress.
The United States formally declared in January the entry into force of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which was to include the demilitarization of Hamas, the creation of an international stabilization force, and the entry of a Palestinian technocratic committee to govern the Strip.
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However, Hamas maintains its rejection of disarmament as long as the terms of the first phase of the agreement, which include the Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, are not met.
For now, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas continue with mediation from Egypt and Qatar without progress on the second phase of the agreement, in a scenario marked by the conflict with Iran and regional tensions, which have reduced diplomatic pressure on the peace process.
