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Hussein al-Sheikh, the vice president of the State of Palestine, met in Cairo on Sunday with senior Egyptian officials to discuss moving to the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, as Hamas accused Israel of expanding breaches of the agreement.
Al-Sheikh said in a post on his X account that he met in Cairo, alongside Palestinian General Intelligence Chief Majed Faraj, with Egyptian General Intelligence Director Hassan Rashad and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in two separate meetings.
He said the two meetings discussed “ways to consolidate stability across the Palestinian territories and to push forward the transition to the second phase of Trump’s plan, as well as relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions,” in addition to “strengthening coordination and consultations to address the challenges facing Palestine and the region.”
For its part, Hamas said the “Zionist occupation is expanding its violations of the ceasefire agreement by escalating the killing of civilians and pushing the ‘yellow line’ in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.”
The group added that the “occupation has intensified the demolition of homes in the eastern half of the Gaza Strip, continuing what it described as urbicide and ethnic cleansing,” and said it is “still keeping the Rafah crossing closed and restricting the entry of aid, contrary to the provisions of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.”
Hamas said these breaches constitute “a systematic policy aimed at undermining the agreement that was approved and signed by all parties,” and called on the mediators, guarantor countries and the parties that met in Sharm el-Sheikh to “pressure the occupation to halt its violations.”
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement included a halt to the war, a partial Israeli withdrawal, the exchange of all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, and the entry of “full humanitarian aid” into Gaza.
The second phase, outlined in Trump’s 20-point peace plan, includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, deployment of the ISF, and the establishment of a Palestinian “technocratic” committee to temporarily govern Gaza.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to keep Gaza’s crossings largely closed, preventing the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials and worsening the humanitarian crisis affecting more than 2 million people.
Palestinian moves and statements coincide with a report by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper that the security establishment in Tel Aviv is “finalizing preparations to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt soon, allowing Gaza residents to enter and exit.”
The crossing was due to reopen in October 2025 as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump, but Israel did not adhere to the agreed timetable.
According to the newspaper, the U.S. president’s plan to end the war stipulates the Rafah crossing would be operated “under the same mechanism that was in place during the January 2025 ceasefire,” the last time the crossing was opened.
Under that mechanism, forces affiliated with the Palestinian Authority would run the Palestinian side of the crossing, with support from a European force.
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