US and Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza truce

U.S. advisor Aryeh Lightstone held the first direct talks with chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo since the Gaza ceasefire. Lightstone was joined by Nickolay Mladenov, the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza. The meeting occurred Tuesday night as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement.

Al-Hayya pressed Lightstone to force Israel into full implementation of phase one commitments. These include ending strikes and increasing humanitarian aid entry before any move to the next phase. The session followed Lightstone’s recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Israel agreed to meet its obligations only if Hamas committed to disarmament.

Talks between Hamas, the Board of Peace, and international mediators have repeatedly stalled. Hamas demands Israel fulfill phase one first, while mediators push Hamas disarmament, international force deployment, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

A senior Hamas source described the latest proposal as unbalanced. “The proposed paper reflects a major imbalance in the ordering of priorities: Israel’s security first, while Palestinians’ humanitarian, political, and administrative rights are postponed,” the source said.

Nickolay Mladenov has relayed Israel’s demands and warned of consequences. “It even reached the point where Mladenov conveyed veiled threats: accept the paper or face a return to war,” the source added.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 765 people in Gaza since the October ceasefire, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Hamas has reasserted control over unoccupied portions of the territory.