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Hamas said its senior delegation met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday to discuss the ceasefire agreement, Israeli violations and the second phase of the deal, as analysts warned that Israel is seeking to prolong the first stage while pushing for its own terms in the next phase.
The delegation also stressed, according to the movement’s statement, the need for the planned international stabilization force to be positioned between the Palestinians and the Israeli occupation forces.
The delegation discussed the developments related to the cease-fire agreement, the general situation in the Gaza Strip, and the nature of the second phase of the agreement.
The Hamas delegation included Mohammed Darwish, head of the leadership council; council members Khaled Meshaal, Khalil al-Hayya, Nizar Awadallah, and Zaher Jabarin; as well as political bureau member Ghazi Hamad.
The delegation affirmed the movement’s commitment to implementing the first phase of the agreement.
It also stressed the importance of halting the ongoing Israeli violations, which it said threaten to undermine the agreement.
The delegation called for a clear and defined mechanism under the supervision of the mediators.
The mechanism would require notifying the mediators of any violations so they can take immediate measures to stop them and prevent unilateral actions that escalate tensions and harm the agreement.
These discussions, according to writer and political analyst Ahmad al-Tannani speaking to Al Jazeera, stem from the resistance’s sense that Israel wants to prolong the first phase of the agreement unless it can impose specific terms on the second phase.
The Palestinian analyst predicted that the coming phase will see a different approach by the resistance toward Israeli violations, which he said cannot be allowed to pass without a field response by the Palestinians or a political response by the mediators and guarantors.
At the same time, al-Tannani expected the resistance to establish new rules of engagement with the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip while emphasizing that it will continue its current policy of avoiding provocations in hopes of consolidating the agreement, which it views as being in the Palestinians’ clear interest.
Al-Tannani believes the resistance discussed with the Egyptians the issue of Hamas relinquishing the administration of the Gaza Strip and transferring it to a Palestinian committee to close off all the pretexts Israel uses to justify the continued expansion of its military and humanitarian aggression.
He noted that the factions will not remain passive recipients of Israel’s actions for long.
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