by JNS Staff
Israel is reportedly seeking to prolong the first stage of the ceasefire, based on estimates that Hamas will reject its demands for the second phase.
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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Security Cabinet following the missile attack by Iran on Oct. 1, 2024. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO. |
The Israeli delegation currently in Doha, Qatar is focused only on the continued implementation of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, with Israel’s Cabinet set to deliberate on Tuesday regarding Israel’s position regarding phase-two talks, according to Hebrew media reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coordinated Israel’s position on the second phase with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Ynet. Jerusalem will demand the expulsion of Hamas’s leadership from Gaza, the dismantling of its terrorist army and the release of all the remaining hostages, according to the report. Officials in Jerusalem estimate that Hamas is likely to reject these demands.
Three more male hostages are expected to be released by the terrorist group on Feb. 15 as part of the ceasefire’s first phase.
On Saturday, Or Levy, 34, Eli Sharabi, 52, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were freed after 491 days in captivity following their abduction during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Trump on Sunday expressed his shock at their condition, comparing them to Holocaust survivors.
Hamas’s list of demands for the second phase are a total end to hostilities, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the beginning of the rehabilitation of the enclave.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism Party stated on Sunday that anyone agreeing to Hamas’s terms “does not deserve to be a leader.”
His party has threatened to exit the coalition if the war against Hamas is not resumed after the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire, which could potentially bring down the government.
Israel’s working-level team in Doha includes Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch and officials from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Mossad and Israel Defense Forces. They were authorized to travel to the Qatari capital for technical discussions following the Gaza-based terrorist group’s release of three hostages and Israel’s release of 183 Palestinian terrorists on Saturday.
According to Israeli estimates, there are 76 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 73 abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks.
JNS Staff
Source: https://www.jns.org/israeli-cabinet-set-to-discuss-second-phase-of-gaza-truce/
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