A senior Hamas delegation led by Dr Khalil al-Hayya met on Wednesday with Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in Istanbul to discuss ceasefire developments in Gaza, amid continuing Israeli war crimes and settlement incursions.
The meeting took place as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out new airstrikes, ground assaults, and mass arrests across the occupied territories, violating the terms of the ceasefire in Gaza agreed earlier this year.
Hamas said the talks focused on Israel’s ongoing breaches, including bombardments, gunfire in areas under IOF control, the closure of all border crossings, particularly Rafah, and the obstruction of humanitarian and medical aid.
Dr al-Hayya stressed the urgent need for reconstruction, citing the collapse of sewage, road, and power infrastructure after more than a year of genocidal assault.
He also briefed Kalin on recent Cairo meetings where Palestinian factions reaffirmed their unity and commitment to the ceasefire, emphasising the withdrawal of Israeli troops, reopening of crossings, and the launch of early recovery projects.
Al-Hayya urged stronger international pressure to end the torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees, describing their condition as one of ‘horrific and systematic degradation’.
At dawn on Thursday, IOF units launched wide raids and arrests, converting a civilian home in northern Ramallah into a makeshift interrogation centre.
In Tulkarm, soldiers arrested former prisoner Munir Abu al-Hala and youth Osman al-Ghoul from Nur Shams camp.
In Ramallah, Maeen al-Barghouthi was seized in Beitunia, while troops raided Beit Rima, detaining ex-detainee Mazen al-Rimawi and holding his family for hours.
Dozens of young men from Beit Rima and Deir Ghassaneh were interrogated, with some released and others still held without charge.
In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested a minor in al-Ram and two brothers from Biddu, while raiding the Bethlehem-area towns of Tuqu’ and Artas.
The arrests form part of Israel’s ongoing campaign of collective punishment through nightly raids and arbitrary detentions aimed at suppressing Palestinian resistance.
At the same time, settlers under heavy police protection staged fresh incursions at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Yesterday morning, 67 settlers entered the courtyards, performing Talmudic rituals and staging what witnesses described as provocative tours.
Police sealed surrounding streets, restricted Palestinian worshippers, and reinforced the Old City gates with additional troops.
Palestinian organisations have called for a mass mobilisation and a continuous vigil at al-Aqsa to resist attempts to Judaise the compound and erode Muslim control.
Jerusalem-based monitors recorded 408 settler and military violations at the site in October alone.
While Hamas and mediators work to secure full ceasefire implementation, including reconstruction, withdrawal, and prisoner exchange, Israel’s continuing raids, strikes, and settler provocations have further entrenched the occupation and intensified Palestinian suffering.