A Hamas official said on Friday that he expects the second phase of indirect negotiations on the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel to begin "early next week."
"We expect the second phase of ceasefire negotiations to begin early next week, and mediators are continuing discussions on the matter," said the official, Taher al-Nounou.
Another source close to the negotiations told AFP that "mediators have informed Hamas that they hope to begin the second phase of negotiations next week in Doha," Qatar.
Under the ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, which took effect on January 19, indirect talks to address the details of the second phase were supposed to begin on February 3, but they never started.
The first phase, lasting 42 days, involved the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
The second phase is expected to secure the release of all hostages and bring a definitive end to the war, before a final phase focused on reconstructing the war-ravaged Gaza Strip after more than 15 months of conflict.
Hamas has repeatedly stated that it is ready to begin the second phase of negotiations. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a team of negotiators to Doha on February 8 to discuss the technical details of the current agreement, but this team was not authorized to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
Reciprocal Threats
The agreement "clearly stipulates that three living hostages must be released by Hamas terrorists on Saturday," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said on Thursday.
"We have already amassed forces inside and around Gaza, so if those three are not released (...) by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end," he warned.
Hamas had threatened to block these releases, accusing Israel of multiple violations of the agreement, including obstructing the entry of humanitarian aid into the devastated territory.
According to Palestinian sources, mediators obtained an "Israeli promise to implement the provisions of the humanitarian protocol," which should allow the entry into Gaza of prefabricated structures, tents, fuel, heavy equipment, medicines, and materials for hospital renovations.
The hostages were kidnapped in Israel by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack. Of the 251 people forcibly taken to Gaza, 73 remain there, at least 35 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli military.
Since January 19, 16 Israeli hostages and 765 Palestinian prisoners have been released, out of a total of 33 hostages and 1,900 detainees set to be freed during the 42-day first phase of the agreement.
With AFP
Comments