The newspaper said that the meeting, held at the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, was attended by the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman), Shlomi Bender, and the head of the Planning Directorate, Eyal Harel, and discussed "intelligence issues and decisions related to the next day in Gaza."
The newspaper quoted security sources as saying that the US delegation focused on "filling the gaps" in preparation for the second phase of the agreement, which includes the introduction of an international peacekeeping force and the disarmament of Palestinian factions.
Under the plan launched by the Trump administration, a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect on October 10. It includes a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces, a prisoner exchange, and immediate access for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
During the meeting, the two envoys conveyed a message from the mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey) regarding the recent Rafah incident. The message stated that the shooting that killed two Israeli soldiers "was not directed by Hamas," stressing that Washington expects Israel to respect the agreement except for "acts of self-defense," according to the newspaper.
Despite the truce's validity, the government office in Gaza said the Israeli occupation army had committed more than 80 violations since the agreement began, resulting in the deaths of 97 Palestinians as of Sunday evening.
According to the newspaper, the two sides also discussed the working mechanism of the "Joint US-Israeli Command" in Kiryat Gat (south), which is responsible for monitoring the ceasefire and establishing post-war arrangements, including dealing with violations and reconstruction issues.
Hamas held Israel "fully responsible" for any deterioration in the truce, calling on the international community and mediators to "ensure the implementation of the agreement in a way that achieves security and stability for the Palestinian people."
This agreement ended a two-year genocidal war that left more than 68,000 Palestinian martyrs and approximately 170,000 wounded.
