Mediators scramble to salvage Gaza truce
• Hamas delegation holds talks in Cairo with Qatari, Egypt mediators; US top envoys meet Netanyahu
• Three more Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near ambiguously-marked ceasefire line
WASHINGTON: Arab and US mediators on Monday intensified diplomatic efforts to salvage a fragile Gaza truce after a weekend of heavy Israeli bombardment killed dozens of Palestinians and threatened to completely derail the ceasefire.
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo to discuss the onslaught with Egyptian and Qatari officials, a day after Israeli strikes killed at least 33 people across the besieged enclave.
The talks came as US envoys met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push the ceasefire plan forward after it faced its gravest test.
Earlier, a Palestinian official close to the ceasefire talks said efforts by Arab mediators and the United States would be stepped up on Monday.
Also, a source close to the negotiations told AFP that contacts “succeeded last night in restoring calm and implementing the ceasefire agreement in Gaza”.
The Hamas delegation, led by the group’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, was set to discuss “the dozens of airstrikes that killed dozens in the Gaza Strip” on Sunday, the source said. The talks will also focus on implementing the ceasefire and an upcoming intra-Palestinian dialogue in Egypt.
In Israel, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu to corral both sides to get the ceasefire back on track.
The visit, scheduled before the weekend flare-up, was expected to push for talks on the next phase of the 20-step plan. US Vice President JD Vance was also due to visit Israel on Tuesday.
Trump warns Hamas
In Washington, US President Donald Trump, who brokered the truce, insisted the deal was still in place but issued a stark warning to Hamas.
“We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice,” Trump told reporters.
“And if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them, if we have to. They’ll be eradicated, and they know that.”
Trump suggested Hamas’s leadership may not be responsible for truce violations. “We think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that,” he said aboard Air Force One.
Israel kills again
On Monday, the violence continued as Israeli fire killed three people near a newly established ceasefire line inside Gaza, Palestinian medics said.
Earlier, Israel unleashed its massive bombardment on Sunday after it claimed a Palestinian attack killed two of its soldiers operating within an agreed deployment line in southern Gaza.
Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday that Israel had dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on Gaza in response. Hamas said it was unaware of any clashes in the area and had not been in contact with groups there.
Hamas has instead detailed what it calls a series of violations by Israel since the truce began, which it says killed 46 people and stopped essential supplies from reaching the enclave. Since the agreement on Oct 11, Israeli forces have committed over 80 violations, Palestinian sources said.
Ceasefire resumed
The United Nations expressed alarm over the violence, with spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stating the UN was “concerned by all acts of violence in Gaza.”
“We urge all parties to honour all of their commitments to ensure the protection of civilians and avoid any actions that could lead to a renewal of hostilities and undermine humanitarian operations,” he said.
Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025
