Hamas reports “no progress” in the second ceasefire phase in indirect negotiations with Israel
Senior Hamas officials said the latest round of talks in the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has not made any progress so far, and it is unclear whether negotiations will resume on Saturday.
The first phase of the ceasefire paused for 15 months in the Gaza Strip, freeing 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The first phase will expire on Saturday, but under the terms of the deal, the battle is not restored when the second phase is negotiated, which could end in the war in Gaza and see the rest of the living hostages return home.
Officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States participated in the negotiations in the second phase of Cairo with the aim of ending the war, with the return of all remaining hostages of life and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Hamas did not attend the talks, but his position was represented by Egypt and Kathari mediators. Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas Politburo, told the Associated Press that there was “no progress” in finding solutions before Israeli negotiators returned home on Friday.
It is unclear whether those mediators will resume talks on Cairo on Saturday as expected, and Naim said he “don’t know” when the talks could begin again.
Israeli and Hamas officials said Egyptian mediators resolved the latest deadlock regarding prisoners and hostage exchanges. The solution to the Gaza ceasefire deal was the same day after the handover of the young Bibas family’s funeral.
Hamas started the war on October 7, 2023, and the attack killed 1,200 people in Israel. Gaza health officials said that since then, Israel’s military offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, who did not distinguish between civilians and combatants’ deaths, but said more than half of the dead were women and children.
The two sides agreed to a three-phase ceasefire agreement in January with the goal of ending the war.
Hamas said on Friday that it “reaffirmed its comprehensive commitment to implement all terms of the agreement in all phases and details” and called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to “go to the second phase immediately without any delay or evasion.”
In addition to the second phase of the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that mediators in negotiations were discussing ways to strengthen humanitarian aid to provide to the Gaza Strip as part of an effort to alleviate the suffering of the region’s population and support stability in the region. ”
Hamas refused to extend the first phase of the ceasefire by 42 days, saying it violated the armistice agreement and was asked to discuss closed doors anonymously, according to a member of the group.
Hamas members said Israel proposed to extend the ceasefire to the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan, which begins on Saturday in exchange for additional hostage exchanges.
The United Nations Food Company World Food Program said in a social media article on Saturday that in the first phase of the deal, it reached one million Palestinians in Gaza.
The agency said the pause in the fight helped “restore distribution points, reopen bakeries and expand cash aid.”
“The ceasefire must be maintained,” it said. “It is impossible to go back.”
