Hamas begins new round of talks in Egypt on Gaza’s post-war future

A senior Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo on Saturday evening to begin a new round of consultations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The talks come amid fast-moving political and regional negotiations over Gaza’s post-war administration.

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing Hamas sources, the delegation is headed by Khalil al-Hayya, the movement’s leader in Gaza. It also includes Husam Badran, head of the National Relations Office. They will later be joined by Zahir Jabarin, head of Hamas’s West Bank office, as well as Bassem Naim and Dr Ghazi Hamad, who is already in Cairo. Khaled Meshaal, head of the movement’s office abroad, is also expected to participate.

Sources said Cairo will host parallel meetings between Palestinian faction leaders. The goal is to agree on forming a committee to administer Gaza during the next phase.

Independent Palestinian figures to lead Gaza

According to an informed source, the proposed committee would consist of 15 independent Palestinian figures from Gaza. None would be affiliated with political factions. All would have administrative and professional experience. The committee would oversee governance during a transitional period and prepare the ground for reconstruction and post-war recovery.

In the same context, the newspaper quoted an Egyptian source saying the Hamas delegation will meet Egypt’s intelligence chief on Sunday. The meeting will be with Major General Hassan Rashad, head of the General Intelligence Service.

The talks will focus on developments in Gaza and the latest political and security discussions.

The ‘Peace Council’

Separately, The Times of Israel reported last Thursday that US President Donald Trump plans to announce the start of the second phase of his Gaza plan next week. This would be despite Israeli objections. The report said the US administration intends to unveil what it calls a “Peace Council” and related bodies. These would be responsible for Gaza’s administration.

According to a US official and two informed sources, Washington has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu it remains committed to recovering the body of the last Israeli prisoner and to disarming Hamas. However, the administration is not prepared to link the launch of the second phase to either condition. The sources added that Israel refuses to proceed with the second phase until the remains of soldier Ran Gvili are returned and Hamas surrenders its weapons.

In an official statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem confirmed the movement had decided to dissolve the governing bodies administering Gaza. He said their responsibilities would be handed to an independent technocratic committee.

Qassem stressed Hamas’s readiness to facilitate all measures needed for the committee to operate and succeed. He called for its rapid formation to serve Palestinian interests and ease suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Featured image via Human Rights Watch