Israel backs US proposal to extend Gaza ceasefire’s first phase. Hamas wants to move on to phase two

However, “if Hamas changes its position, Israel will immediately enter into negotiations on all the details of the Witkoff plan”, the statement said.

Before Israel’s new statement, an Egyptian official involved in the talks spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. The official said Hamas, Qatar and Egypt wanted to continue with the existing ceasefire deal, and they rejected Israel’s proposal to extend the ceasefire for four weeks with a release of hostages every Saturday without officially entering negotiations on the second phase.

The Egyptian official said the US wanted to start negotiations on the second phase but called for hostage releases during the negotiations. Hamas insisted on a full implementation of the ceasefire terms.

The first phase, which paused 15 months of fighting in Gaza, saw the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners. Hundreds of thousands of people returned home to northern Gaza, aid into the territory increased, and Israeli forces withdrew to buffer zones.

Hamas started the war with its October 7, 2023 attack that left 1200 dead in Israel, mostly civilians, and took some 250 people hostage. Since then, Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

According to Israel, 32 of the 59 hostages still in Gaza are dead.

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The two sides agreed to the three-phase ceasefire deal in January, with talks on the second phase meant to start the first week of February. Israelis rallied on Saturday night to urge their government to continue the deal.

Hamas has reaffirmed its “full commitment to implementing all terms of the agreement in all its stages and details” and called on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately proceed to the second phase.

Other challenges complicate the ceasefire’s future. Israel has said Hamas cannot be involved in governing Gaza after the war. Netanyahu has also ruled out any role in Gaza for the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, dominated by Hamas’ main rival, Fatah.

Hamas leader Mohamed Darwish on Saturday reiterated the group was willing to hand over power to a Palestinian national consensus government or an Egypt-proposed body of technocrats not aligned with Hamas or Fatah. His comments came in an open letter to next week’s summit of Arab leaders in Cairo. Hamas has dismissed Israel’s suggestion that its leadership go into exile.

AP

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