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Hamas, Jihad Delegations in Cairo to Reinforce Israel Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip November 2, 2019. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip November 2, 2019. (Reuters)
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Hamas, Jihad Delegations in Cairo to Reinforce Israel Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip November 2, 2019. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip November 2, 2019. (Reuters)

Separate talks kicked off in Cairo on Tuesday between Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials with Egyptian officials aimed at reinforcing the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel.

An informed Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks will last several days and begin first with bilateral discussions between each of the Palestinian factions with the Egyptian officials. They may later expand to become tripartite talks.

On whether the talks will tackle Palestinian elections, the source said this issue was not on the table.

The discussions will primarily focus on reinforcing the truce with Israel, it added.

Asked about the travel itinerary of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh after the conclusion of his Egypt visit, the source said: “Unofficial Egyptian sources said that he may head to Qatar, Russia and Turkey.”

Hamas had on Monday announced that Haniyeh would hold talks with Egyptian officials about several pending Palestinian issues.

Movement officials refused to reply to Asharq Al-Awsat requests to confirm his trips beyond Egypt.

Prior to arriving in Egypt, Hamas was embroiled with the Palestinian Authority in a new dispute, this time over the legality of the movement striking deals with the US to set up a field hospital in Gaza.

PA officials had charged that such a deal was part of the so-called “deal of the century” US peace proposal that has been rejected by Palestinians.

“It will be an American-Israeli military base put forward on the land of Gaza Strip,” said Mai Alkaila, the PA’s health minister.

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Syrian Opposition Fighters Capture Four Central Towns as Govt Forces Reclaim Some Territory

Opposition fighters talk together as one of them stands on a military vehicle holding a weapon in the town of Tel Rifaat, Syria December 2, 2024. (Reuters)
Opposition fighters talk together as one of them stands on a military vehicle holding a weapon in the town of Tel Rifaat, Syria December 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Syrian Opposition Fighters Capture Four Central Towns as Govt Forces Reclaim Some Territory

Opposition fighters talk together as one of them stands on a military vehicle holding a weapon in the town of Tel Rifaat, Syria December 2, 2024. (Reuters)
Opposition fighters talk together as one of them stands on a military vehicle holding a weapon in the town of Tel Rifaat, Syria December 2, 2024. (Reuters)

Syrian opposition groups captured four new towns early Tuesday, bringing them closer to the central city of Hama, opposition activists said, while government forces retook some territory they lost last week.

The capture of the towns is the latest in the push by the fighters led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as well as Türkiye-backed opposition fighters. The fighters now are about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Hama, the country’s fourth largest city.

The latest push is part of a wide offensive by forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that over the past days has captured large parts of the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, as well as towns and villages in southern parts of the northwestern Idlib province.

The opposition’s military operations administration said gunmen killed 50 government forces as they captured the central towns of Halfaya, Taybat al-Imam, Maardis and Soran. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, confirmed that the towns were taken.

The pro-government Dama Post media outlet reported intense clashes in an around the towns, adding that Syrian troops are firing artillery shells at fighters in the area. State media reported intense airstrikes by Syrian and Russian air forces in the area.

Both the Observatory and pro-government media outlets reported that Syrian government forces on Tuesday captured the village of Khanaser, days after losing it. Khanaser sits on one of the roads that lead to Aleppo.

The long war between Assad and his foreign backers and the array of armed opposition forces seeking his overthrow has killed an estimated half-million people over the past 13 years.

To the east, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that they captured seven villages from pro-government fighters. Syrian state media, however, denied that the villages were captured by the US-backed SDF saying that the attack was repelled.

The villages are close to a base housing US troops in the area that is close to Iraq.

Also Tuesday, Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Türkiye, which is a main backer of groups opposed to Assad, said the recent rapid advance by the anti-government fighters in Syria shows that the Syrian president must reconcile with his own people and hold talks with the opposition.

Assad and officials in his government say all armed groups in opposition-held parts of Syria are terrorists and has rejected any political solution with them.

Türkiye has been seeking to normalize ties with Syria to address security threats from groups affiliated with Kurdish militants along its southern border and to help ensure the safe return of more than 3 million Syrian refugees. Assad has insisted that Türkiye's withdrawal of its military forces from northern Syria be a condition for any normalization between the two countries.