Mohammad Sio and Rania Abu Shamala
17 October 2025•Update: 18 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Hamas on Friday urged mediators to continue their role in overseeing the implementation of the remaining terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, appreciating the efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye that helped broker the truce reached earlier this month.
In a statement, the group said it “expresses deep appreciation for the sincere efforts made by the brotherly mediators in Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye over the past two years to reach an agreement to end the aggressive war against our Palestinian people.”
It added that the mediators’ “hosting of meetings, bridging of differences, and persistence in removing obstacles” had “finally succeeded in ending the insane war on Gaza.”
Hamas called on the mediators to keep working to follow up on the implementation of the remaining clauses of the agreement, particularly those related to allowing adequate humanitarian aid, opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, and beginning urgent reconstruction of homes, hospitals, schools and public infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave.
The movement stressed the need to “immediately” complete the formation of the community support committee, consisting of the group of independents who had been nationally agreed upon, so that it may begin its work in administering the Gaza Strip and finalize the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the agreed-upon areas.
It also called for continuing efforts to “prosecute those responsible for war crimes and bring them to justice, as well as pressing forward with the boycott and isolation of Israel and its leaders in the international arena.”
Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 10 more captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement.
The deal was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
