Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin talks on the second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza during his visit to Washington on Monday, his office said.
The prime minister “spoke this evening with the US president’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. The two agreed that negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal will begin when they meet in Washington this coming Monday,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
“Later this week, Witkoff will speak with the prime minister of Qatar and senior representatives of Egypt. After that, he will discuss with the prime minister steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for delegations to leave for talks,” it said.
A truce in Gaza came into effect on January 19, halting 15 months of war in the Palestinian territory after more than a year of previously fruitless talks brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Under the first six-week stage, 33 Israeli hostages seized by Hamas during its October 2023 assault are being returned from Gaza in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians.
There have been four exchanges so far which have seen 13 Israeli hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them women or children.
