A senior delegation from Hamas has met Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo to discuss Israel’s breaches of the ceasefire agreement, the group said, as Palestinians in Gaza held funerals for dozens of people killed in recent Israeli attacks.
In a statement on Sunday, the group said it reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in its meeting with Hassan Rashad, but accused Israel of “continued violations” that it said threatened to “undermine the deal”.
Hamas, whose delegation included its exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, called for a “clear and defined mechanism” under the supervision of mediators to document and halt any breaches of the deal.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating between Hamas and Israel, securing the ceasefire that came into effect last month.
The Palestinian group said it also discussed with Egypt ways to urgently resolve the issue of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnel networks in Rafah in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.
It said communication with the fighters has been severed.
The meeting came a day after Israeli forces launched a wave of air attacks across Gaza, destroying homes, makeshift shelters and a car, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas members after the group sent a fighter into Israeli-controlled Gaza territory to attack Israeli soldiers there. The military said a local Hamas commander was among those killed in the Saturday strikes.
Hamas has rejected the allegations, saying Israel was looking for an excuse to kill. The group on Saturday called on the mediators – Egypt, Qatar and the US – to intervene urgently and exert pressure on Israel to “immediately halt these violations”.