Talks between mediators and Hamas officials in Cairo have made rare progress toward fully implementing a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza, sources familiar with the negotiations said Thursday, raising cautious hopes for a breakthrough after months of stalled diplomacy.
The development comes as Israeli strikes killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including two children, medics said.
A Hamas official and a diplomat close to the Cairo talks said discussions were "positive" and "making progress." The official said the progress would be tested by Israel's response and whether this allowed a broad accord to be reached.
The diplomat said the negotiations were making progress toward a roadmap that would see all heavy and light weapons in Gaza decommissioned. Hamas leaders are holding talks with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, on the second phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, as presented to them by his Board of Peace, which oversees its implementation. The plan calls for a surge in humanitarian aid, governance by a civilian Palestinian administration, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the deployment of an international force to help maintain security.
