The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is due to expire on Saturday, and negotiations on the next stage to secure a permanent ceasefire so far have been inconclusive.
The ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, the deadliest in the country’s history.
Over several weeks, Hamas freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The fragile truce was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt after months of grueling negotiations. The second phase should begin on Sunday and would secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to hold a ministerial meeting with security officials, according to Israeli media, after he sent a delegation to Egypt for discussions on phase two of the truce.
On Thursday, Egypt’s State Information Service said: “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings.”
It also said Israeli, Qatari and U.S. delegations were in Cairo for the talks.
By early Saturday, there was no sign of consensus, or of a presence of a Hamas delegation in the Egyptian capital.
Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start on Saturday.
“But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.
The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Hamas, for its part, has pushed hard for phase two to begin after it suffered staggering losses in the devastating war.
In a statement, it said that it “affirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details.”
The group also called for global pressure on Israel “to immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay.”
Ceasefire ‘must hold’
Of the 251 hostages seized during the Hamas terrorist attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal “must hold,” with just hours to go before the initial phase expires.
“The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.
The truce enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69% of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.
