Gaza ceasefire talks see rare progress, sources say

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, July 30 (Reuters) - Talks between mediators and Hamas leaders in Cairo to reach an end to the conflict in Gaza have seen rare progress towards full implementation of a U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, sources close to the effort said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 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 Turkey, 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.

But progress has stalled in previous months.

HANDOVER OF WEAPONS?

On Thursday, a Hamas official said the group was coming with a "positive and good" response, but did not say whether the group had agreed to fully disarm — a key sticking point in the talks over the past four months.

Hamas wants Israel to commit to ending attacks on Gaza and withdrawing its forces.

Sources close to Hamas said the group was willing to "confine and store" heavy weapons under a Palestinian body, not hand them over to Israel. Hamas did not comment on the matter.

It is not yet clear what will happen regarding light or personal weapons or whether the new Hamas stance will be accepted by Israel or the Board of Peace.

The diplomat involved in the talks said the roadmap under discussion in Cairo would also see authority transferred in phases to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), under the principle of "one authority, one law, one weapon".

The plan includes the elimination of tunnels, arms stockpiles and weapons production facilities, the diplomat said, adding that by the end of the process there would be no remaining militant infrastructure in Gaza.

The diplomat described the roadmap as being based on reciprocal steps rather than trust.

So far, the reality on the ground in Gaza remains far from this roadmap.

The Israeli military has continued to expand its military occupation of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Israel intends to expand the area under its control to 70% of the enclave.

So far, NCAG has been based in Cairo without announcing a timeline for its entry into the Strip.

It remains unclear how many forces would be available to deploy with the planned International Stabilization Force, and whether Israeli troops would withdraw from the enclave.

In Cairo, two Egyptian sources said Hamas had agreed to several contentious points, including the handover of weapons, but had requested changes regarding the definition of the infrastructure to be dismantled, adding more talks were underway.

The Board of Peace declined immediate comment on the Cairo talks.

Israel wants Hamas to cede power completely in Gaza and to fully disarm. Hamas dissolved a de facto Gaza government last month but maintained a caretaker body to provide vital services to residents.

ATTACKS CONTINUE

The truce halted full-scale fighting but has not ended near-daily Israeli strikes.

Health officials said separate Israeli strikes had killed at least two children, a woman and three men in Gaza on Thursday. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants in the enclave.

The latest deaths add to a toll of more than 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza health officials.

Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza since the ceasefire.

Hamas does not usually disclose its losses.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting by Ahmed Shalaby in Cairo; editing by Gareth Jones, Kate Mayberry and Jason Neely)