Hamas Formally Demands Israel Implement Phase One Ceasefire Obligations as Condition for Phase Two Talks

On April 22, 2026, Hamas formally demanded that Israel fully implement all Phase One obligations of the Gaza ceasefire deal before any discussion of Phase Two disarmament could proceed. Hamas's position, articulated through official channels and reported by People's Dispatch, stated that Israel had failed to honor key Phase One commitments including: full IDF withdrawal from populated areas, unrestricted humanitarian access, and release of all Palestinian prisoners agreed under Phase One. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan reiterated that linking disarmament to Phase Two while bypassing Phase One obligations violates the ceasefire framework and contradicts the terms Israel itself agreed to under the October 10, 2025 deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. The formal demand came as the second Board of Peace disarmament deadline (April 19) had already passed without Hamas acceptance, and Cairo backchannel talks continued without breakthrough. The US and the Board of Peace maintained that Phase Two — a permanent ceasefire and Palestinian political future — would not begin until disarmament was formally underway. Hamas's Phase One implementation demands are seen as the latest obstacle in what analysts describe as a deeply structurally deadlocked negotiation.