The overriding issue in a rebuilding of Gaza will be the laying down of arms by Hamas….
This IS something that MUST happen to go forward in Gaza…
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire began Thursday, Egypt said, averting a collapse ahead of Saturday’s expiration of the agreement’s first phase.
Officials from Israel, Qatar and the United States started “intensive discussions” on the ceasefire’s second phase in Cairo, Egypt‘s state information service said.
“The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region,” its statement said.
Phase 2 talks are meant to negotiate an end to the war, including the return of all remaining hostages in Gaza who are alive, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the territory. Return of remaining deceased hostages would happen in Phase 3.
According to Israel, there are 59 remaining hostages — 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.
It will be difficult to reconcile a deal with the war objectives of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called for dismantling Hamas’ governing and military capabilities. After suffering heavy losses in the war, Hamas has nonetheless emerged intact during the ceasefire, and the group says it will not give up its weapons.
Hours before talks began, an Israeli official said the country would not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip as called for under the ceasefire, a refusal that could severely complicate negotiations with Hamas and key mediator Egypt at a sensitive moment for the fragile truce.
Overnight, Hamas released the remains of four hostages in exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned swap of the ceasefire’s first phase.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was expected in the region in the coming day…
…
The latest handover was the final one planned under the ceasefire’s first six-week phase, which expires this weekend. Hamas has returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to return all the hostages and destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, which remains in control of Gaza. The Trump administration has endorsed both goals.
But it’s unclear how Israel would destroy Hamas without resuming the war, and Hamas is unlikely to release the remaining hostages — its main bargaining chips — without a lasting ceasefire….
…
The Hamas Removal Question….
With time running out on the first, 42-day phase of the deal, set to expire Saturday, Israel and Hamas, along with the Trump administration and Arab government mediators, appear far from reaching an agreement to proceed to the second, decisive phase of the ceasefire, which would involve the release of all living Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent end to the war.
Despite the increasing signs of strain, Hamas delivered coffins carrying the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on Wednesday, with Netanyahu’s office saying later in the evening that the remains had been returned to Israel, where they would be identified. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said Thursday that the four bodies had been confirmed as Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur….
…
At the heart of the deadlock is the question: Could Hamas be persuaded, or pressured, to lay down its arms and leave Gaza, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded as a precondition to ending the war? Or will Netanyahu be willing to compromise — and pay the political price?
Netanyahu and Hamas leaders, analysts say, face conflicting political pressures that make a second-phase agreement far more difficult than the first, and a resumption of war may only be a matter of time…
…
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.