By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Rami Ayyub
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, March 16 (Reuters) – Envoys from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” have met representatives of Hamas in Cairo in an effort to safeguard the Gaza ceasefire, under serious strain since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, three sources told Reuters.
The weekend meeting is the first publicly reported since the start of the Iran war between the Palestinian militant group and the board, a new international body personally headed by Trump, which has been tasked with overseeing post-war Gaza.
Following the meeting, Israel announced on Sunday that it would soon reopen the sole crossing for pedestrians between Gaza and Egypt, shut since the Iran bombing campaign began. One of the sources said he believed the Israeli announcement was a direct result of the meeting between Hamas and the board.
Prior to the war in Iran, Trump’s plan for Gaza was his flagship initiative for the Middle East.
The sources said the Hamas representatives warned the board that the Palestinian militant group could back away from its previous promises under the Gaza ceasefire if Israel maintains new restrictions on Gaza imposed during the Iran war.
Israel shut Gaza’s borders after the war’s launch on February 28, saying crossings could not be operated safely. It later resumed the limited flow of goods and aid but kept shut the sole crossing for pedestrians into Egypt, at Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge. On Sunday it announced it would reopen the crossing later this week following a “security assessment”.
Reuters has previously reported that talks on the disarmament of Hamas – meant to be a focus of the next phase of Trump’s plan – have been on hold since the start of the Iran war.
FURTHER MEETINGS EXPECTED THIS WEEK
One of the sources said Trump’s board was represented at the talks with Hamas by Aryeh Lightstone, an American aide to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. The other two sources said meetings that included Lightstone were on the agenda although they were unable to confirm whether Lightstone had attended yet.
Further meetings were expected this week. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
A U.S. official said that Lightstone had attended Gaza-related meetings in Cairo in the past several days, without confirming whether he met with the Hamas delegation. U.S. negotiators were continuing to meet with regional partners to fulfil Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the U.S. official added.
Israel’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether its decision to reopen the Rafah crossing was a result of the Cairo meeting. Hamas declined to comment.
IRAN WAR SEES CONTINUED ISRAELI STRIKES ON GAZA
Trump’s plan for Gaza began with an October ceasefire that left Israel controlling more than half the enclave’s territory, with nearly all its more than 2 million people crammed into a narrow strip of land under Hamas control.
The initiative had appeared to gain momentum in the month leading up to the war with Iran, including new pledges for reconstruction and the reopening of Rafah.
Israel’s military has continued to strike Gaza during the broader regional war, including attacks on Sunday that killed 12 people, including nine police officers. The military has cited threats or fire by Hamas for its attacks.
A Palestinian official with knowledge of the Cairo talks said that Hamas believed Israel was exploiting the war on Iran to slip away from its obligations under Trump’s plan. Israel rejects this.
Trump’s Gaza plan has hinged in part on whether Hamas militants would lay down their arms in exchange for amnesty, a step intended to pave the way for reconstruction and further Israeli military withdrawals.
None of the sources said whether disarmament would be discussed in Cairo talks this week.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem with additional reporting by Ahmed Shalaby in Cairo and Steve Holland in Washington)
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