Hamas calls for more international pressure on Israel before ceasefire's
next phase
[December 10, 2025]
By MEGAN JANETSKY and JULIA FRANKEL
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas on Tuesday called for more international pressure
on Israel before the militant group moves forward with the next phase of
the ceasefire in Gaza, with a Hamas leader saying it wants Israel to
open a key border crossing, cease deadly strikes and allow more aid into
the strip devastated by the two-year war.
The demand came as Israel’s government says it is ready to move into the
next and more complicated phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's
20-point ceasefire agreement, while calling on Hamas to return the
remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza as envisioned in the
deal.
Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’ political wing, called for the “full
implementation of all the terms of the first phase” before moving
forward, including an end to what he called the continuing demolition of
Palestinian homes in the majority of the territory still controlled by
Israel.
Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 376
Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold on Oct. 10, according to
Palestinian health officials.
A difficult, second phase
Badran said it was not possible to enter the second phase of the
ceasefire unless the steps he demanded were taken — remarks that reflect
a hardening of tone from Hamas.
However, the group has little leverage in ceasefire negotiations and
could come under heavy pressure from regional powers like Qatar and
Turkey to not hit the brakes on the fragile truce.
Israel has also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and says its
recent strikes in Gaza are in retaliation for militant attacks against
its soldiers, and that its troops have fired on Palestinians who
approached the “Yellow Line” — a vague line between Israeli-controlled
territory and the rest of Gaza.
It says those killed were suspected militants who posed a threat to
troops, but it appears at least some were civilians who ventured too
close to the line, and those killed have included women and children.
The lack of aid
As a humanitarian crisis continues in Gaza, the United Nations and other
aid organizations said that not nearly enough aid is entering the
territory, parts of which have faced famine.
Under the ceasefire deal, the number of trucks of supplies was supposed
to ramp up to at least 600 a day. For the past month, the U.N. has
recorded an average of around 120 trucks of aid entering Gaza. The
figure does not include commercial trucks, whose precise numbers are not
known.
COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of coordinating aid entry,
has said 600-800 trucks are entering daily.
But the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA said in its latest weekly report
that many of the commercial goods in the market remain unaffordable to
many Palestinians, and “dietary diversity remains poor, with essential
protein sources still largely unavailable.”
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Hamas militants and Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head to Zeitoun
neighborhood of Gaza City to search for the remains of the final
hostage, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
The agency also said the entry of medical supplies has “not
increased in any meaningful way” and some hospitals still face
severe shortages of essential drugs and supplies.
Israel said on Wednesday it would begin to allow aid destined for
Gaza through a crossing on the Jordan-Israel border.
A key border crossing
The ceasefire deal also calls for the Rafah crossing between Gaza
and Egypt to be opened for traffic in both directions. Israel has
said it is prepared to open the crossing for Palestinians to leave
the territory, but not yet to enter.
The U.S.-led plan outlining the future for the devastated territory
has gained momentum in recent weeks. The two sides and mediators are
to enter negotiations soon over the terms of the next phases, which
call for Hamas to be disarmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel
and Hamas are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase
of the ceasefire,” after Hamas returns the remains of the last
hostage. Hamas has said the destruction by Israeli strikes in Gaza
has been an obstacle in their search for the remains.
Meanwhile, officials have said that an international body tasked
with governing Gaza is expected to be announced by the end of the
year.
Israel’s 2-year-long campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,300
Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to
the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between
militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates
under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals
and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the
international community.
The campaign was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern
Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants killed around 1,200 people
and took 251 hostages. Almost all of the hostages or their remains
have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.
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