GAZA/JERUSALEM/CAIRO - Hamas said Tuesday that a delegation from its leadership arrived in Cairo on Tuesday evening to hold discussions with the Egyptian side over the Gaza ceasefire.

The delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the movement in Gaza, will hold talks on completing the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire, including the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, Hamas said in a statement.

"It will also discuss accelerating the transition to the second phase, including the formation of the administrative committee and the completion of the (Israeli) occupation's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions "to discuss the rapid political and field developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank", it said.

Under the terms of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by an international "Board of Peace". The agreement stipulates that Hamas must disarm and have no future role in the territory's formal governance.

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The Rafah crossing, a key passage between Egypt and Gaza, has been mostly closed since May 2024, when Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing. Before that, it was the main exit for Palestinians and a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Israel previously said it would open the crossing in both directions once Hamas returns all the hostages.

'Over 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire'

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said more than 100 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire went into effect since October 2025.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters at a UN briefing by video link from Gaza that the agency has recorded reports of at least 60 boys and 40 girls killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire.

"Survival is still conditional. Whilst the bombings and shooting have slowed during the ceasefire, they have not stopped," he added.

The figure only includes incidents with sufficient details to document, so the actual number of Palestinian children killed is expected to be higher, Elder said, adding hundreds of children have been wounded.

Four killed in Gaza City amid storm

Also on Tuesday, four Palestinians were killed in Gaza City in two separate incidents, while a woman died in flooding in East Jerusalem, as heavy rain and strong winds swept the region.

Eyewitnesses said three people, including a woman and a child, were killed when a wedding hall on Gaza City's beachfront collapsed. The hall had been sheltering displaced persons.

In a separate incident, Palestinian medical sources reported that a woman was killed when a wall collapsed west of Gaza City during the storm.

In a statement, Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal confirmed the incidents, warning that buildings in Gaza are no longer safe shelters for residents amid ongoing heavy rain and strong winds.

In East Jerusalem, a woman in her 50s was killed in flooding on Tuesday, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service reported.

Importance of Palestinian Authority control over Gaza

Separately, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed Egypt's full support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and underscored the need to enable it to assume its responsibilities across the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

Abdelatty made the remarks during a phone call with Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh, as the two sides discussed ways to move toward the second phase of the US-proposed peace plan between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to a statement issued by Egypt's Foreign Ministry.

During the call, Abdelatty highlighted United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 as a supportive framework for the transitional phase, and reiterated Egypt's support for deploying an international stabilization force and forming a Palestinian technocratic committee, which he said would help create the conditions necessary for restoring the PA's role in Gaza while preserving the unity of Palestinian territory between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

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He condemned Israel's "repeated violations in the West Bank, including attacks on Palestinian civilians, incursions, and settlement expansion," warning that such actions undermine prospects for de-escalation and derail the political process.