World Desk: Israel is preparing to send a delegation to Doha on Monday for further negotiations on a ceasefire, while Hamas has called for immediate talks on the second phase of the ceasefire, hoping that this would pave the way for a permanent end to the ongoing conflict.
Representatives from the Palestinian group Hamas met with mediating countries’ representatives in Cairo over the weekend. According to a statement from Hamas, they emphasized the urgent need for the “uninterrupted and unconditional restoration of aid” to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hamas senior leader Mahmoud Mardawi told AFP, “Hamas insists that the occupying forces must be pressured into starting the second phase of negotiations immediately, based on agreed-upon terms.” He added that this step would pave the way for a permanent end to the war.
Mardawi further stated that Hamas’ main demands for the second phase include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the lifting of the Israeli blockade, reconstruction of Palestinian territories, and financial aid.
After talks with mediating countries, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoua said that initial signals from the negotiations were “positive.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that a delegation would be sent to Doha for discussions on Monday. Israeli media reported that the security cabinet would meet on Sunday to discuss the matter.
Israel has expressed its desire to extend the first phase of the ceasefire until mid-April. The first phase of the ceasefire concluded on March 1, after a relatively calm six-week period. During this time, 25 living hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The ceasefire has largely halted the 15-month-long war in Gaza, where Israel’s ruthless military operations have left nearly the entire population displaced. The ceasefire also allowed for the delivery of essential food, shelter, and medical aid to Gaza.
However, when Israel later halted this aid, the United Nations and human rights organizations accused the government of “using hunger as a weapon.”
A Palestinian widow, Hanin Al-Dura, who was displaced during the conflict, told AFP that she and her children had been forced to spend weeks on the streets “between dogs and rats” before they found a tent. She said, “As the sole breadwinner, this situation was deeply distressing, and I couldn’t sleep at night.”
“Final Warning” from Trump
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that further destruction in Gaza would occur if all remaining hostages were not released. He issued an “ultimate warning” to Hamas leaders and threatened the residents of Gaza, saying, “A beautiful future is waiting for you, but not if you continue to hold hostages. If you do, you are dead.”
Hamas responded by stating that Trump’s threats would only provoke Israel to violate the ceasefire agreement further.
The Trump administration also confirmed that it had begun direct negotiations with Hamas, an unprecedented step since Washington labeled Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997 and refused to engage with it. Among the 251 individuals held hostage by Palestinian militants, 58 are still in Gaza, including five U.S. citizens. Four American hostages have been confirmed dead, while there is hope that one, named Aden Alexander, is still alive.
Earlier, President Trump had proposed a plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, which was widely condemned. In response, Arab leaders presented an alternative plan that involves providing financial aid through a trust fund for Gaza’s reconstruction and having the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah resume control of the region.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told reporters in Washington, “We need more discussions on this, but it’s a good-faith initial step.”
Witkoff will visit the region again this week and travel to Saudi Arabia to hold talks on the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, during a weekly protest in Tel Aviv, the families of Israeli prisoners demanded that the government fully implement the ceasefire. Matan Zangauker’s mother, Eina Zangauker, addressed the crowd with a candle and poster, saying, “The war could restart in a week. They’ve even chosen a name for the operation. The war will not bring the hostages home; it will kill them.”
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