Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

After holding high-level talks in the US involving officials from Egypt and Qatar, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Israeli violations are making efforts to advance a peace plan in Gaza "incredibly more difficult", TRT World reported.

"Now, since the first phase has been completed following the release of the last hostage, the parameters for moving to the second phase are being discussed. Perhaps after Sharm el-Sheikh, yesterday’s meeting was the most important one. Frankly, we continued our meetings in various formats and settings until late last night," he said.

"Especially as Turkiye, we clearly stated that ceasefire violations (by Israel) are endangering the peace plan and creating major risks for transitioning to the second phase. The ongoing violations by Israel, in particular, are making the process incredibly more difficult. What we see is that all parties are in agreement on this issue, and we also had various discussions on how to prevent this," he said.

The United States was joined on Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami.

Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.

"We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President's 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements," said a statement posted by Witkoff on X.

Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.

Saturday's statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

The United States was joined Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami.

Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.

"We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President's 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements," said a statement posted by Witkoff on X.

Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.

Gaza's civil defence said six people were killed on Friday in Israeli shelling of a shelter. That brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect to 400.

Saturday's statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

Turkiye MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas's negotiating team head Khalil Al-Hayya on Saturday and discussed necessary measures to be taken for proceeding to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, Turkish security sources said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin met the Hamas delegation in Istanbul within the scope of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and they discussed steps to be taken to prevent what they said were Israel's ceasefire violations.

They also discussed measures to be taken to resolve existing issues for proceeding to the second phase of the plan, the sources also said, without giving details.

At least six Gazans were killed and several others wounded when the Israeli military struck a shelter in Gaza City, hosting a wedding party.

The deadly strike came as senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye were in the United States for talks on reaching the next phase of the shaky ceasefire on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.

Local sources said that Israeli tank shells struck the second floor of a school-turned-shelter while displaced Palestinian families were gathered there to attend a wedding.

The attack was the latest in hundreds of Israeli ceasefire violations that have taken place since the US-brokered agreement came into force in October, according to a tally from the Gaza Government Media Office.

Gaza´s civil defence agency said Israeli shelling on a school-turned-shelter killed five people on Friday, while the military said it had fired at "suspicious individuals".

Spokesman for the agency, Mahmud Bassal, told AFP that "five martyrs have been recovered as a result of the Israeli shelling of the shelter at the Gaza Martyrs School," in the Tuffah neighbourhood east of Gaza City.

When asked by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military said that "during operational activity in the area of the Yellow line in the northern Gaza Strip, a number of suspicious individuals were identified in command structures west of the Yellow line."

Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Israeli forces have withdrawn to positions east of the so-called Yellow Line.

"Shortly after identification, the troops fired at the suspicious individuals to eliminate the threat," the military said, adding that it was "aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area, and the details are under review."

"The (Israeli military) regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to mitigate harm to the extent possible," it said.

The ceasefire, which came into effect in October, remains fragile with both sides alleging violations, and mediators fearing that Israel and Hamas alike are stalling.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US hoped talks between Lebanese authorities and Israel would lead to a strong Lebanese government and see the Hezbollah’s disarmed.

"We are hopeful that talks between Lebanese authorities and Israelis will create outlines and a way forward that prevents further conflict," Rubio told a press conference.

There cannot be peace in Gaza unless Hamas disarms and no longer poses a threat to Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.

"If Hamas is ever in a position in the future that they can threaten or attack Israel, you’re not going to have peace," Rubio told journalists, adding: "That’s why disarmament is so critical."