US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" and Hamas have held direct talks to salvage a fragile October 'ceasefire' between the two groups. The meetings aim to safeguard the ceasefire, which has been under severe strain since the regional war began on February 28. Following the talks, Israel announced it would partially reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Despite this, Palestinian political analyst Abdullah Aqrabawi suggested that the US's engagement was not a legitimisation of Hamas but a calculated tactic to instill renewed violence. He warned against viewing this as a fundamental shift in US policy, framing the meetings as framed by the constant threat of a return to a "war of extermination".