The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is due to expire on Saturday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive. The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country\u2019s history. Over several weeks, Hamas freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The second phase of the truce, which was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt after months of gruelling negotiations, should begin on Sunday, and should secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza. On Friday, Israeli PM Netanyahu was due to hold a ministerial meeting with security officials, according to Israeli media, after he sent a delegation to Egypt for discussions on phase two of the truce. On Thursday, Egypt\u2019s State Information Service said: \u201cThe relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings.\u201d It also said Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were in Cairo for the talks. By early Saturday, there was no sign of consensus, or of a presence of a Hamas delegation in the Egyptian capital. Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start on Saturday. \u201cBut I think the ceasefire probably won\u2019t collapse also,\u201d he said. The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.In a statement, it said that it \u201caffirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details\u201d. The group also called for global pressure on Israel \u201cto immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay\u201d. Ceasefire \u2018must hold\u2019 Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas\u2019s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal \u201cmust hold\u201d, with just hours to go before the initial phase expires. \u201cThe coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,\u201d Guterres said in New York. The truce enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed in Israeli carpet bombing, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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