The talks, held on Tuesday night in Cairo, brought together a U.S. delegation led by senior advisor Aryeh Lightstone and Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya.

They were joined by Nickolay Mladenov, who serves as High Representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace, an international body established to oversee postwar arrangements in the territory.

The discussions focused on advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire plan, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the deployment of an international security mission. However, progress has stalled due to deep disagreements over timing and security arrangements.

According to reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israel will only proceed with key phase-one obligations—including a full ceasefire and withdrawal from populated areas—if Hamas commits to complete disarmament.

Hamas has rejected that condition, with al-Hayya describing the proposal as “unbalanced” and arguing that it undermines humanitarian and political considerations. The group maintains that it will not disarm before Israel fully implements its initial commitments, including an end to airstrikes.

Sources within Hamas also claim that mediators have warned the group that rejection of the disarmament proposal could risk a return to full-scale conflict.

The October 2025 ceasefire, which ended the most intense phase of a two-year war, has faced sustained criticism from humanitarian organisations, which describe it as a ceasefire “in name only.” According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 765 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect six months ago.

Aid agencies such as Médecins Sans Frontières say conditions in Gaza remain dire, with overcrowding, infrastructure collapse, and disease outbreaks worsening humanitarian concerns.

The negotiations are also unfolding amid wider regional tensions linked to the broader Iran-related conflict, with continued instability in maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz raising fears of wider escalation.

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are reportedly urging flexibility from both sides, but diplomats remain skeptical that a breakthrough will be reached without significant revisions to the current proposals.

The removal of the monarch, announced by the Ministry for Chieftaincy Affairs, was linked to ongoing insecurity in the chiefdom and allegations of his involvement in some conflicts, as well as his failure to address violent attacks, leading to accusations that he was a sellout among residents.

However, many indigenes of the chiefdom have risen in defence of the dethroned traditional ruler, claiming that his removal was a witch-hunt, as he had worked hard to restore peace and return displaced people to their homes.

Supporters of the monarch also claim that the government’s action was a misplaced priority during an active security crisis.

Since his removal in early April, different groups have staged pockets of protests demanding his immediate reinstatement, but the mother of all the protests was the naked demonstration by community women who stormed the council secretariat carrying placards with different inscriptions such as “Bring Back Julius Our Chief,” calling on the government to immediately reinstate their monarch, insisting that his removal has destabilised the community.

In video footage of the protest that circulated widely on social media, a group of elderly women was seen completely naked and marching through the community, chanting solidarity songs and expressing their grievances.

One of the leaders of the protesters, who spoke to journalists on why they had to go naked during the protest, said they stripped naked to tell Governor Mutfwang that he had erred in removing the monarch, insisting that he had done a lot to restore peace in the chiefdom.

“We had to remove our clothes to protest and demand that our paramount ruler, Mishkakam Mushere, Julius K. Diblang, who was unjustly removed from office, be reinstated immediately.

“This is a message from us to Governor Caleb Mutfwang that he should return Mishkakam Julius Diblang immediately or a big calamity will befall him. The world has seen our nakedness, and those who understand these things will know that you don’t take a woman’s nakedness for granted.

“Governor Mutfwang should better listen to us and bring back Mishkakam Mushere before it’s too late,” she said.