GAZA CITY: Israel is preparing to send a delegation to Doha on Monday for further truce talks, as Hamas urges an immediate start to phase two negotiations, aiming for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Over the weekend, Hamas representatives met with mediators in Cairo, emphasizing the need for unrestricted humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza. Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi stated that initiating the second phase would help achieve an end to the war.
Hamas’s key demands include a full Israeli withdrawal, an end to the blockade, reconstruction efforts, and financial aid for Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua described the negotiations as showing positive indicators.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the delegation’s trip, with the security cabinet set to discuss the matter. Israel seeks to extend the truce’s first phase until mid-April.
The initial ceasefire, which lasted six weeks until March 1, saw the exchange of 25 living hostages and eight bodies for the release of 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. It also temporarily halted more than 15 months of fighting, during which most of Gaza’s population was displaced by Israeli military operations following Hamas’s October 7 attack.
The UN has accused Israel of "weaponizing starvation" after it cut off aid flows. According to Gaza’s health ministry, the conflict has resulted in 48,453 deaths, mostly civilians, a toll considered reliable by the UN.
