CAIRO: A Hamas official told Asharq that a senior delegation from the movement will arrive in Egypt from Istanbul within hours, where it will meet Egyptian General Intelligence chief Hassan Rashad to push for the implementation of the roadmap for Gaza.
The official said the delegation will discuss with Rashad and Egyptian officials developments in the negotiations and efforts to push Israel to abide by the agreement - a 15-point roadmap- and begin implementing it.
Hamas and the Palestinian factions agreed earlier this month to the roadmap agreement presented by the Board of Peace, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the deal, saying Israel would not withdraw from Gaza without the “genuine and complete disarmament” of Hamas and the Palestinian factions.
Israeli violations in Gaza
The Hamas official said the delegation, which includes the movement’s negotiating team headed by Zaher Jabarin, will brief Egyptian officials on “Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement” and reiterate Hamas’ commitment to the deal and readiness to implement it as soon as Israel complies with its terms.
The agreement calls for moving to the second phase of the ceasefire, involving the “confinement, collection and storage of weapons,” alongside phased Israeli withdrawals, addressing the status of Hamas government employees, and transferring government responsibilities in Gaza to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
A source familiar with the negotiations told Asharq that contacts and talks between Hamas and Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari mediators are continuing in an effort to achieve a “breakthrough to compel Israel to abide by the agreement.” The source said several meetings had taken place over the past week, including a meeting between a senior Hamas delegation and Turkish officials.
The source added that “contacts are underway to arrange a meeting between the Hamas negotiating delegation and Nikolay Mladenov, the senior representative of the Board of Peace, as well as US officials,” to discuss ways of overcoming obstacles related to the details of the weapons and governance issues outlined in the roadmap and to allay Israeli concerns. The source provided no further details.
US President’s special envoy Jared Kushner is expected to visit Egypt this week, following his scheduled visit to Israel.
According to informed Palestinian sources, Kushner will meet, in the presence of Mladenov and Tony Blair, with Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
