The United States and Hamas held their first direct talks since the start of the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to preserve and strengthen the fragile agreement brokered by Washington, according to two Hamas sources.

A delegation led by senior US adviser Arie Lightstone met Tuesday night in Cairo with Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Haya, according to the same sources. Lightstone was accompanied by Nikolai Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, who is backed by the US, according to officials. A State Department spokesman, asked by CNN, said: “We do not comment on ongoing negotiations.”

Al-Haya, who survived an assassination attempt by Israel in Qatar’s capital, Doha, last September, raised with Lightstone the need for Israel to fully implement its commitments under the first phase of the deal – including a cessation of attacks and increased humanitarian aid – to allow for a transition to the second phase, according to the sources.

The ceasefire, reached in October, ended two years of war in Gaza, but did not address critical questions about the future of the devastated region, such as Hamas’ role in possible future security or governance arrangements. The Palestinian group has reasserted its control over the part of Gaza not under Israeli occupation, while the Israeli army continues to carry out frequent attacks on the enclave.

Tuesday’s meeting came days after Lightstone’s contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure Israel’s commitment to fully implement its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire, according to a U.S. source and a diplomat with knowledge of the talks. According to one source, Israel agreed to implement its commitments on the condition that Hamas commit to disarmament.

Hamas disarmament is required

Meetings between Hamas, Peace Council representatives and international mediators were aimed at reaching agreement on the next phase of the ceasefire: the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international force in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the devastated area.

However, according to multiple sources, the talks have repeatedly stalled due to demands that Hamas agree to disarmament before Israel fully implements its first-phase commitments. Hamas and several international organizations active in Gaza argue that Israel is not abiding by the agreement, which Israel rejects, accusing Hamas of violations.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed more than 765 people in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect in October.

A senior Hamas source said the organization considers the proposal “unbalanced” and that it “reduces the whole process to a single clause – disarmament – while other obligations of the first phase are postponed or set aside.”

“The proposed text reflects a significant imbalance in the prioritization: the security of Israel first, while the humanitarian, political, and administrative rights of the Palestinians are postponed,” the same source said.

According to the source, Mladenov conveyed Israel’s demands and warned that the country would return to war if Hamas did not accept disarmament. “He went so far as to make veiled threats: accept the text or face a return to war,” the source said.