CAIRO, (PIC)
The Hamas negotiating delegation, led by Khalil al Hayya, arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials and mediators regarding Israeli breaches of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The Movement warned of an escalating policy of “engineered starvation” through restrictions on aid entry.
According to AFP, sources within Hamas confirmed that the delegation met with Egyptian intelligence officials handling the Palestine file on Saturday evening, with further meetings scheduled Sunday to address Israeli violations and the implementation of the first phase of the agreement. One source stressed Hamas’s demands to halt all Israeli attacks, dismantle military positions established by the occupation, open crossings, increase the flow of travelers and goods, and enable the national committee to assume administrative responsibilities in Gaza.
Hamas also emphasized the need to complete Israeli withdrawals and ensure the daily entry of 600 aid trucks as stipulated in the agreement, urging mediators to exert real pressure to guarantee compliance. Another source noted that the delegation is consulting with Palestinian faction leaders present in Cairo and is expected to meet UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov to discuss the same issues.
These moves come amid ongoing Israeli violations of the truce, which took effect in October 2025. Since then, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed; Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported at least 749 deaths, while the Israeli army acknowledged five soldier fatalities. On Saturday, seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike near a police post in al Bureij refugee camp.
Meanwhile, Hamas warned of deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza, accusing Israel of intensifying its “engineered starvation” policy by restricting aid entry, including flour, which has driven up bread prices under already difficult living conditions.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the restrictions constitute a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire, noting that Israel has allowed in only about one third of the agreed quantities. The Movement rejected statements by UN envoy Mladenov claiming aid deliveries matched agreed levels, calling them “contrary to reality on the ground.”
Hamas urged mediators and guarantor states of the truce to take a clear stance against these policies and act to stop them, warning of their consequences for Gaza’s humanitarian situation.
