Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials on Sunday to discuss ways of pushing toward the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
In a statement on the US social media company X, al-Sheikh said he met separately with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad.
"We discussed ways to consolidate stability across all Palestinian territories and to move toward the second phase of President Trump's plan, as well as relevant UN Security Council resolutions," al-Sheikh wrote, adding that the meetings also focused on strengthening coordination and consultation to address regional challenges.
Earlier Sunday, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that the Israeli security establishment was completing preparations to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in the near future to allow movement in and out of the enclave.
The crossing was supposed to reopen in October 2025 under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, but Israel did not comply.
The US plan stipulates that Rafah "would be run under the same mechanism used during the January 2025 ceasefire," the last time the crossing was opened, the report added.
Under that arrangement, Palestinian Authority forces would operate the Palestinian side of the crossing with assistance from a European Union mission.
A European source told the newspaper that Palestinian personnel previously avoided wearing Palestinian Authority insignia due to Israeli sensitivities over its presence in Gaza.
On Sept. 29, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a 20-point plan to end the war on Gaza, including a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives, disarmament of Hamas, an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, the formation of a technocratic administration, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
The first phase of the agreement took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, but Israel has continued to violate some of its provisions and has delayed moving to the second phase.
Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on Oct. 10, the Israeli army has committed hundreds of violations, killing 420 Palestinians and wounding 1,184 others, according to the Health Ministry.
The ceasefire halted Israel's two-year war that killed nearly 71,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, injured more than 171,200 others, and left the enclave in ruins.
