The Gaza ceasefire’s second phase has yet to begin, while negotiations remain ongoing [Getty/file photo]
Hamas said on Saturday that there were “positive” signs regarding the start of negotiations for the second phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, as a delegation from the Palestinian group met with mediators in Cairo.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would send a delegation to Doha on Monday for truce talks.
Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua said in a statement that “efforts of the Egyptian and Qatari mediators are ongoing to complete the implementation of the ceasefire agreement”.
“The indicators are positive regarding the start of negotiations for the second phase,” he added, without providing further details.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said that Israel had accepted an invitation from US-backed mediators and would “send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance the negotiations”.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for thousands of Palestinian prisoners, though widespread hostilities have not resumed.
Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war, but Israel Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April throughout Ramadan and Passover.Â
On Saturday, a high-level Hamas delegation held talks with Egyptian officials over the second phase of the ceasefire. The truce has largely halted more than 15 months of violence in Gaza, though violations have occured.
In the statement, Al-Qanoua spoke of the “necessity of obligating the mediators to ensure Israel implements the agreement,” adding that: “Hamas affirms its readiness to begin negotiations for the second phase to meet the demands of our Palestinian people.”
Under the first phase, Gaza militants handed over 25 living captives and eight bodies in exchange for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Israel says 58 captives remain in the Palestinian territory, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.
