US-Hamas Direct Talks in Cairo Tackle Ceasefire Deadlock

In Cairo on Tuesday night, a United States delegation held the first direct talks with Hamas since the October 2025 ceasefire that ended two years of war in Gaza, as mediators sought to resolve a deadlock over advancing the agreement.

The meeting brought together Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and U.S. senior advisor Aryeh Lightstone, accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the U.S.-backed Board of Peace. Egyptian mediators facilitated the discussions, which were not initially planned to include the U.S. side but expanded unexpectedly. A U.S. general briefly joined before departing. The State Department declined to comment on the proceedings.

At the core of the talks was a dispute over the sequencing of the ceasefire's phases. Hamas insisted that Israel must first complete its phase-one obligations, including halting military strikes and expanding humanitarian aid access to Gaza. Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last September, emphasized this point during the 90-minute session. Sources described the atmosphere as tense at times, with U.S. representatives urging immediate disarmament and using firm language...