Netanyahu Announces Israeli Delegation's Travel to Cairo for Gaza Ceasefire Discussions

Synopsis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that a negotiation team will travel to Cairo on Monday to engage in discussions about the Gaza ceasefire agreement's implementation. The team will address the continuation of the first phase and prepare for negotiations regarding the second phase, following a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet.

Key Takeaways

Israeli team headed to Cairo for ceasefire talks.
Negotiations focus on Phase One and Phase Two of the agreement.
Hamas and Israel completed sixth prisoner exchange.
First phase has seen releases of hostages and prisoners.
Future talks aim to establish a permanent ceasefire.

Jerusalem, Feb 17 (NationPress) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a team of negotiators will head to Cairo on Monday to engage in discussions regarding the enforcement of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

As per a statement from his office, Netanyahu mentioned that he had a phone conversation with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, after which he directed the Israeli negotiation team to proceed to Cairo on Monday.

The team will initially focus on the "continuation of the implementation of Phase One of the deal," and will "receive guidance on the next steps for negotiations concerning Phase Two" following a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet scheduled for Monday, according to the statement.

In a recent interview with Fox News on Sunday, Witkoff indicated that discussions regarding the second phase have already commenced and will proceed this week "at a location to be determined so that we can strategize on how to successfully reach the conclusion of Phase Two."

This past Saturday, Hamas and Israel successfully completed the sixth prisoner-for-hostage exchange after several days of intense negotiations that risked undermining the fragile ceasefire, according to Xinhua news agency.

During this exchange, Hamas released three additional Israeli hostages held in Gaza, while Israeli authorities set free 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

As stipulated in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which has been in effect since January 19 for a duration of six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages are anticipated to be released in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinians. To date, 19 Israeli hostages, including five Thais, have been freed from Gaza, while over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released by Israeli authorities.

Negotiations concerning the second phase were originally expected to commence in early February. Hamas announced on February 4 that it had initiated talks with international mediators, whereas a spokesperson for Netanyahu stated on the social media platform X that Israel had not yet started discussions on the second phase.

The focus of the second phase of the agreement is intended to be on the release of the remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.