Cairo is hosting a new round of talks between Hamas and Palestinian factions in an effort to move forward the stalled Gaza ceasefire agreement. Cairo has hosted at least five rounds of talks in less than two months. Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the discussions aim to reach understandings and guarantees that both the Palestinian factions and Israel can commit to. Efforts to move forward with the phases of the ceasefire agreement have stalled for months and the impasse has grown deeper with the eruption of the US-Israel war on Iran in February. Talks are focused on the second phase that is focused on Hamas’ disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas has been demanding that Israel respect its first phase commitments before moving on to the second. The first phase calls for Israel to increase the entry of aid into the enclave, reopen crossings and cease expanding its control in Gaza. Tel Aviv has been demanding that Hamas disarm, saying it is a priority before moving forward with the ceasefire. In televised remarks, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Saturday that the movement was kicking off its meetings in Cairo with Palestinian factions to “reach national agreements”. The movement is also holding talks with mediators to “truly execute the ceasefire on the ground and complete the first phase,” he added. “Discussions will be held to reach reasonable and acceptable understandings with all parties on the second phase, including the deployment of international forces and the weapons of armed factions,” he said. The Hamas delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Friday for a new round of negotiations that should last several days, said the movement. Saeed Okasha, an Israeli affairs expert at Cairo's Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said the latest Cairo talks aim to end the impasse and prevent the continued Israeli escalation in Gaza. He described the talks as “very important given their timing and agenda. They aim to reach decisive results to throw the ball in the court of the Board of Peace and Israel to prevent any escalation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is bracing for elections in months.” Palestinian analyst Abdulhadi Mutaweh said: “It appears that Hamas will stall over the ceasefire until the negotiations between the US and Iran reach their conclusion.” The Cairo talks will focus on moving from the first phase to the second, arrangements related to the disarmament of factions and on who will run Gaza in the future, he added. A Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that six Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, but not Fatah, are present in Cairo. Talks will focus on “not giving Israel on excuse to launch a new war on Gaza,” he said.
