Hamas says 'committed' to Gaza truce

Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Sunday it was committed to implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal during a meeting with Egypt's intelligence chief in Cairo amid Israeli violations that threaten to undermine the truce.

The Hamas delegation also called for clear mechanisms from mediators to report breaches and ensure immediate actions to prevent escalating tensions that may harm the agreement, Al Jazeera reported.

Further, among other things discussed with Egypt were ways to resolve the issue of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnel networks in Rafah in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.

The talks also covered "the nature of the second phase of the agreement", the group said in a statement, without providing further details.

Both Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for violating the United States-brokered truce, which came into effect on Oct 10. Egypt, Qatar and the US have been mediating between the two sides.

On Saturday, Israeli forces launched a wave of air attacks across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the atrocities and called for urgent international intervention to stop the massacre of civilians. Israel said five senior Hamas members were killed.

Meanwhile, the United Nations reiterated its calls to uphold the Gaza ceasefire agreement after reports that people, including children, were still being killed in conflict-related incidents despite a supposed ceasefire in place.

During a news conference at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: "We need peace in Gaza: By upholding the ceasefire and fully implementing the commitments of the peace agreement. By establishing a credible political path toward ending the occupation ...leading to a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security."

Legal perspective

Hadi Rahmat Purnama, an assistant professor of international law at Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, told China Daily that from a legal perspective, the truce should be honored by both parties — in this case, Israel and Hamas.

"Ceasefires or truces can be voluntary or imposed by the UN Security Council through a binding Chapter VII resolution," said Purnama, who is also chair of the Center for International Law Studies under the university's Faculty of Law.

Chapter VII of the UN Charter allows the Security Council to take enforcement measures to maintain or restore international peace and security.

"Violation of an agreed-upon truce can lead to a resumption of hostilities without the violating party committing perfidy, provided the enemy is warned according to the agreement's terms," Purnama said.

In international law, he said, a third party in a truce "acts primarily as a neutral intermediary, mediator or guarantor to facilitate the agreement and its implementation".

However, with some mediators having supported Israel's military campaign over the past two years, the situation "is not easy to deal with", he added.

According to UNICEF, at least 67 children have been killed in "conflict-related incidents" since Hamas and Israel agreed to the ceasefire last month, at a rate of two per day.

On Friday, UN agencies said that attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite the ceasefire.

"Although there's a ceasefire, people still get killed," said Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

jan@chinadailyapac.com