CAIRO, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Hamas said here that the disarmament of resistance in Gaza depends on a full Israeli withdrawal from the enclave before entering the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Egyptian sources said Sunday.
A Hamas delegation headed by senior leader Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Friday to begin a new round of negotiations expected to last several days, focusing on the disarmament of resistance in Gaza, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the future administration of the enclave, the sources told Xinhua.
Meetings were held on Saturday and Sunday with Egyptian security officials and mediators from Qatar and Trkiye, with the aim of completing the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, halting repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza, and finding suitable mechanisms to move into the second phase, they said.
The Hamas delegation said that disarming the resistance in Gaza should come after a full Israeli withdrawal from the strip to enter the second phase of the agreement, stressing that weapons cannot be removed while Israel remains in Gaza, according to the sources.
The discussions also address the administration of Gaza during the current phase and Hamas' position on handing over the administration of the enclave to a Palestinian committee, the sources said.
The talks are still ongoing on Sunday, and their results will be conveyed to the U.S. and Israeli sides through Egypt and the other mediators, they said.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in October 2025. Despite the ceasefire, at least 961 Palestinians have been killed and 3,020 wounded in the enclave since Oct. 11 last year, bringing the total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, to 72,971.
