Hamas Says Discussed Second Phase of Gaza Truce in Cairo

A Palestinian man Ahmad Dalal, 57, inspects scrap cars burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers, in Huwara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 21, 2025.  (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian man Ahmad Dalal, 57, inspects scrap cars burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers, in Huwara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 21, 2025. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Hamas Says Discussed Second Phase of Gaza Truce in Cairo

A Palestinian man Ahmad Dalal, 57, inspects scrap cars burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers, in Huwara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 21, 2025.  (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian man Ahmad Dalal, 57, inspects scrap cars burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers, in Huwara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 21, 2025. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

A delegation of senior Hamas leaders discussed the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on Sunday with the head of Egyptian intelligence, the Palestinian group said.  

Led by Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, the delegation arrived in the Egyptian capital on Saturday for talks on Sunday with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, two officials from the movement told AFP.  

Hamas said in a statement that it "reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the (ceasefire) agreement, stressing the importance of putting an end to Israeli violations".  

"The nature of the second phase of the agreement" was also discussed in Cairo, Hamas added, without giving further details. 

The second stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan concerns disarming Hamas, establishing a transitional authority and deploying an international stabilization force.  

Hamas, excluded from any role in the future governance of the territory under the Trump plan adopted by the UN Security Council, is refusing to disarm.  

Over the past few days, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the US-brokered truce that came into effect on October 10 after two years of war. 

Gaza's civil defense agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes on Saturday.  

The Israeli military said an "armed terrorist" had crossed the so-called Yellow Line within the Gaza Strip, behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn, and fired at Israeli soldiers.  

In response to the incident in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said it "began striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip".  

Hamas said on Sunday it had also raised the fate of fighters in Gaza's southern area of Rafah with whom it had lost contact.  

According to various media reports, up to 200 Hamas fighters are believed to be trapped in tunnels in Gaza beneath part of the territory where the Israeli army has redeployed under phase one of the agreement. 



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.