US ambassadors meet with Hamas in Cairo to defend fragile Gaza ceasefire | Donald Trump

In the devastating enclave of more than two million Palestinians crammed into shrinking territory under the overwhelming shadow of Israeli military occupation and bombardment, daily survival is tied to a fragile October “ceasefire.”

But as Israeli and US bombs rain down on Iran and Tehran retaliates across the region, the ceasefire faces a breaking point, prompting an unprecedented diplomatic maneuver: direct talks between United States President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” and Hamas.

According to the Reuters news agency, representatives of a new body personally led by Trump to oversee post-war Gaza, but with more far-reaching designs, met with Hamas representatives in the Egyptian capital over the weekend.

The meetings were aimed at protecting a “ceasefire” that is under even more intense pressure since the regional war began on February 28.

After the talks, Israel announced on Wednesday that it would partially reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The crossing, Gaza’s only pedestrian lifeline outside of direct Israeli control, was closed when the Iranian offensive began.

Despite diplomatic pressure, violence in the enclave continues. Israeli attacks on Sunday killed at least 13 Palestinians, including two boys, a pregnant woman and nine police officers, serving as a stark reminder of Israel’s all-encompassing military grip on the territory.

Practical change or tactical strategy?

While the talks mark significant engagement from Washington, analysts see the move not as a legitimization of the Palestinian group, but a calculated strategy underpinned by the threat of renewed violence.

Palestinian political analyst Abdullah Akrabawi noted that Washington’s willingness to meet with Hamas reflects a stark reality on the ground. “There is a comprehensive, factual acknowledgment that the main military, political and social actor in the Gaza Strip is Hamas,” Akrabawi told Al Jazeera.

However, he cautioned against viewing the meetings as a fundamental shift in US policy. In the era of the Trump administration, diplomatic meetings do not equate with political recognition. Rather, Akrabavi argued, this approach was shaped by the constant threat of a return to “war of extermination”.

The ultimate goal of these talks, he explained, is to empower a newly formed technical committee in Gaza to build a social base capable of challenging the armed group.

The illusion of ‘reverse blackmail’

Early reports indicated that Hamas had threatened to abandon the “cease fire” if the Gaza border restrictions continued, using the regional chaos of the Iran war to force Israel’s hand.

Akrabawi dismissed this assessment, saying Hamas has consistently expressed its desire to avoid a return to full-scale war. More than a successful Palestinian pressure campaign, reopening the Rafah crossing serves a different strategic purpose for Washington and Tel Aviv, he said.

“Any facilities, if the Rafah crossing or aid access is allowed, will come through the “Board of Peace” and a new technical committee created in the Gaza Strip,” Akrabavi said. “This is not in response to negotiations or Palestinian pressure, but rather in the context of allowing this committee to infiltrate Palestinian society.”

He said it aimed to establish a security foundation that would allow the resistance to be disarmed, even if it led to internal Palestinian civil conflict.

Disarmament and the 20-Point Plan

Before the regional escalation, Trump’s flagship Middle East initiative — the 20-point plan for Gaza — partially halted mass killings and secured the release of Israeli military detainees and some Palestinian prisoners. Instead, Hamas accepted a ceasefire that saw the Israeli military occupy more than half of the enclave.

But the second phase of Trump’s plan, which relies on Hamas giving up its weapons in exchange for amnesty and reconstruction, remains deadlocked. While some might imagine that the regional conflict would give Hamas leverage to scrap the disarmament clause altogether, Akrabavi suggested the opposite is unfolding.

The US and Israel, increasingly involved in Iran, are likely to increase pressure on the Palestinian group to secure a quick, enforceable victory in Gaza. “Today’s pressure on the occupation government and America’s view of war with Iran may push them to put pressure on Hamas to accomplish this task as soon as possible,” Akrabavi said.

Yet, Hamas remains steadfast. The group considers its weapons essential to resist aggression and form the foundation of future Palestinian security institutions.

While Washington and Tel Aviv seek to use the specter of renewed genocide to engineer Gaza’s political future, the reality of Palestinians trapped inside the enclave remains unchanged. For them, the partial resumption of a single border crossing is not a diplomatic breakthrough, but a momentary breath of fresh air in the besieged Gaza Strip, where daily survival is held hostage to the demands of military occupation.