For the third consecutive day, Palestinian factions and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have met in Cairo to address growing disagreements over Gaza's future , especially regarding resistance groups' weapons and governance during the post-war period.
Participants describe the talks as highly sensitive since last October's ceasefire, which aims to break the deadlock in the deal's second phase.
Mediators seek a framework for wider Israeli withdrawals, reconstruction, and transitional governance, but divisions remain over Palestinian armed groups' future and truce guarantees, according to Palestinian sources.
The meetings are taking place as Gaza continues to endure Israeli air strikes and military operations despite the ceasefire, with Hamas accusing Israel of repeatedly violating the agreement through assassinations, military incursions, restrictions on aid deliveries and delays in reconstruction measures.
Palestinian sources in Cairo told The New Arab that mediators are working harder to bridge differences among Palestinian factions and with international sponsors, amid fears the stalemate could threaten the fragile ceasefire and lead to full-scale war. Resistance weapons The future of Palestinian resistance's weapons has been a major challenge to progressing discussions on Gaza's post-war political and security plans.
In a press statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said its leadership is meeting with Palestinian factions and mediators in Cairo to ensure the ceasefire is effectively implemented.
Qassem said efforts target commitments in the first agreement phase: halting Israeli military actions, stopping assassinations, opening border crossings, and allowing the national committee to begin work inside Gaza.
Only after fulfilling those obligations can discussions address sensitive issues in the second phase, such as governance, international forces, and Palestinian weapons, he explained.
A senior Hamas official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive negotiations, told TNA that the movement remains engaged in mediation but rejects separating the weapons issue from Israeli ceasefire obligations.
According to the source, Hamas believes that security talks can't start until Israeli military actions stop, restrictions are lifted, and reconstruction begins.
The source said Hamas delegates emphasised that a ceasefire must be fully established before negotiations on Gaza's long-term political and security future.
Another Palestinian source told TNA that the negotiators spent much of two days debating the eighth clause of a proposed framework, which addresses mechanisms for handling weapons held by Palestinian factions.
The source said some participants objected to proposed timelines, while others said future measures should depend on reciprocal Israeli steps like military withdrawal, reconstruction, and halting attacks.
Egyptian mediators, according to the source, presented a new proposal based on gradual implementation and parallel political and security measures to bridge differences while providing guarantees to all parties involved.
Recent meetings in Cairo have brought together representatives from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, alongside independent Palestinian figures and separate consultations with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish officials. Mediators race to save 'ceasefire' According to Palestinian sources, mediators aim to formulate understandings for the second phase of the ceasefire, likely involving a wider Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction, and transitional governance mechanisms.
Hossam al-Dajani, a Gaza-based political analyst, told TNA that the length of the talks indicates negotiators are grappling with fundamental questions about Gaza's future.
"The weapons issue represents the main sticking point in the current negotiations," al-Dajani said.
For Palestinian factions, it relates to the future of the Palestinian cause and resistance to occupation. For international actors, it is a necessary step toward future political and security arrangements in Gaza," he added.
He said mediators seek a gradual formula to resolve disagreements without immediate final solutions, but emphasised that success depends on Israel's willingness to implement practical commitments.
Gaza-based political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim told TNA that ongoing talks show a regional awareness that failure to progress could cause ceasefire collapse and renewed conflict.
"Cairo, Doha, and Ankara recognise that political breakthroughs depend on rebuilding trust, which remains difficult while Israeli military operations continue and Palestinians see no tangible ground changes," he said.
He added that the Palestinian factions are trying to create a unified position to protect their interests and avoid arrangements due to Gaza's dire humanitarian crisis.
Negotiations continue as Gaza's living conditions worsen, with a strained health system, stalled reconstruction, and severe shortages threatening many.
Ibrahim believes that these conditions are increasing pressure on all parties to secure progress that could facilitate aid deliveries, reconstruction projects and the restoration of basic services. Iran-Israel war casts shadow While negotiators remain focused on Gaza, the latest military tit-for-tat between Iran and Israel has emerged as an additional factor shaping the atmosphere surrounding the talks.
Sources involved in the discussions told TNA that participants have closely followed regional developments amid concerns that a widening confrontation could complicate efforts to preserve the ceasefire and divert international attention away from Gaza.
The sources expressed fears that Israel could use the confrontation with Iran to harden its negotiating position or delay implementation of obligations linked to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Others argued that the regional escalation may instead increase pressure on mediators to secure understanding in Gaza quickly and prevent the emergence of another major front of instability in the region.
Gaza-based Palestinian political analyst Ahed Ferwana told TNA the confrontation between Iran and Israel is unlikely to halt the Cairo meetings but will inevitably influence the broader political environment surrounding them.
"Regional actors understand that any major escalation in the Middle East would make it difficult to manage several crises at the same time," he said.
"For that reason, Gaza may become an even more urgent file for mediators who are seeking to preserve calm and prevent the ceasefire agreement from collapsing," he added.
He said Israel may attempt to use the regional confrontation to strengthen its political and security position, but argued that the Gaza file remains too important to be pushed aside.
"On the contrary, some international actors may increase pressure to reach understandings in Gaza to prevent the regional confrontation from widening further," he explained.
He continued that the success of the Cairo meetings will ultimately depend on Israel's willingness to fulfil commitments concerning military withdrawal, the cessation of assassinations and the opening of crossings.
For Palestinian factions, those issues remain the primary test of Israeli intentions and the necessary foundation for any future discussion about governance, reconstruction and long-term arrangements in Gaza.
As Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators continue intensive consultations with Palestinian delegations, no breakthrough has yet been announced.
Nevertheless, participants insist that negotiations remain open, reflecting a shared recognition that the alternative to compromise could be the collapse of the ceasefire and a return to a devastating conflict whose consequences would extend far beyond Gaza's borders.