Hamas delegation meets Egypt spy chief, says Israeli 'breaches' threaten ceasefire

CAIRO/JERUSALEM: A senior Hamas delegation met Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the ceasefire agreement and the situation in Gaza, the group said, as both Israel and the Palestinian militant group continue to trade accusations of truce violations.

Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. have been mediating between Hamas and Israel, securing the ceasefire that came into effect last month.

In a statement, the group said it reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in its meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief, 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.

The movement said it also discussed with Egypt ways to urgently resolve the issue of Hamas fighters in Rafah tunnels, adding that communication with them had been cut off.

Reuters reported earlier this month that mediators were trying to address the fate of a group of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnel networks in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said the country’s military killed five senior Hamas members on Saturday after a fighter was sent into Israeli-controlled Gaza territory to attack Israeli soldiers there.