GAZA, (PIC)
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that the Movement is holding ongoing talks with mediators, especially Egypt, regarding the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel, saying that Tel Aviv’s insistence on disarmament before other tracks represents “a violation of US President Donald Trump’s plan.”
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Qassem said there are “continuous discussions and contacts with mediators, particularly with our brothers in Egypt, to find reasonable approaches regarding the general framework of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.”
He explained that Israel “continues to insist on raising issues such as Palestinian weapons before entering any other track, without offering any guarantees.”
Qassem said that making disarmament a precondition before proceeding with the remaining stages contradicts what was agreed upon in Trump’s plan.
He added that “this proposal aligns with the Israeli position and aims to sabotage the existing agreement,” stressing that “what is required is implementing the first phase as stipulated in the agreement, then moving to discussions concerning the second phase.”
On September 29, 2025, Trump announced a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, including the release of Israeli captives, the disarmament of Hamas, a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of a technocratic government, and the deployment of an international stabilization force. The first phase entered into force on October 10, 2025.
While Hamas says it complied with the requirements of the first phase, Israel, according to Qassem, failed to uphold its commitments and continued its attacks, resulting in the killing of 846 Palestinians and the injury of 2,418 others.
Despite Israeli violations, Trump announced in mid-January the start of the second phase under his plan, which had been endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 issued on November 17, 2025.
The second phase includes a broader Israeli military withdrawal, while Israel still controls more than 50 percent of Gaza, reconstruction efforts, and the beginning of the disarmament of Palestinian factions. Qassem said Israel has not implemented these provisions and instead insists on disarmament first.
“Hamas is committed”
Qassem stressed that Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire agreement and continues political and diplomatic communication with mediators, updating them daily on Israeli violations.
He accused Israel of “moving the yellow line westward and seizing more land for the Israeli presence inside Gaza,” describing this as “a violation of the maps published by the American president himself.”
He added: “Shifting the yellow line is followed by displacement of civilians, shelling, killings, and demolitions as happens daily,” calling on mediators to “take a real position to stop these violations and compel the Israeli occupation to implement the agreement.”
According to Qassem, Hamas documents Israeli violations daily and shares them with all relevant parties.
The “yellow line” refers to a buffer zone separating areas controlled by the Israeli military in eastern Gaza from areas where Palestinians are permitted to remain in the west. It reportedly covers around 59 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Azzam al-Hayya
Qassem also said Israel’s targeting of Azzam, the son of Hamas Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, “aims to retaliate against the movement’s negotiating delegation in Cairo and pressure its leadership to extract political concessions during negotiations.”
He said that “the martyrdom of Azzam al-Hayya, the fourth son of Dr. Khalil al-Hayya to be killed in Israeli attacks, adds to the long series of occupation crimes against our Palestinian people over more than two years.”
Qassem insisted that this policy “used previously by the occupation will not succeed in extracting any concessions from the resistance leadership and Hamas.”
He reiterated that Hamas has repeatedly emphasized the need to implement the first phase because it creates “a foundation of trust” for discussions on the second phase and its more complicated issues.
Azzam al-Hayya died Thursday from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on Wednesday targeting the al-Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City.
He was the fourth son of Khalil al-Hayya killed by Israel in recent years, following the killing of his brothers Hamza, Osama, and most recently Hummam, who was killed in an airstrike targeting Doha, Qatar.
In a recorded statement, Khalil al-Hayya said the targeting of his son was part of the same campaign aimed at the negotiating delegation last year.
He stressed that “the Israeli occupation imagines that by targeting leaders, their children, and their families, it can force us into positions we reject and achieve through killing and terror what it wants. But this is an illusion and impossible under these circumstances.”
“Our compass remains the interests of our people, achieving their legitimate political goals, bringing them stability and security, and ensuring they remain steadfast on their land and in their homeland,” he added.