Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a negotiation team will travel to Cairo on Monday to discuss the next steps in implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu made the announcement following a phone conversation with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Israeli team will initially focus on continuing Phase One of the agreement, which involves the release of hostages and prisoners, before moving on to discussions regarding Phase Two, which is expected to cover further steps in the peace process.
Phase One of the ceasefire agreement, which has been in effect since January 19, includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians. As of now, 19 Israeli hostages and five Thais have been freed by Hamas, while Israel has released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire has also involved several rounds of prisoner-for-hostage exchanges, the latest being the sixth such exchange on Saturday.
Hamas and Israel had been expected to begin discussions on the second phase in early February. While Hamas announced on February 4 that it had started talks with international mediators, Israeli officials stated that they had not yet begun discussions on the second phase of the deal. The second phase is expected to include the release of remaining hostages, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.
Witkoff confirmed on Sunday that negotiations for Phase Two have already begun and will continue this week at a location to be determined, aiming for a successful conclusion to the next stage of the agreement.
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