Hamas rejects Israel’s ‘formulation’ to extend phase one of Gaza ceasefire

Negotiations aimed at securing a permanent truce have so far come to an end as the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza draws to a close.

Hamas criticized Israel’s “formulation,” which included extending the first phase of the ceasefire rather than the second phase as originally planned, on Saturday, calling it unacceptable.

No discussions regarding a second ceasefire phase are being held, despite the fact that the first phase is scheduled to end on Saturday, according to Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem.

Qassem claimed that Israel is to blame for halting second-phase negotiations by claiming that it still wants to free the Palestinians from Gaza while still having the option to restart the conflict.

Hamas reaffirmed its “full commitment to implementing all the terms of the agreement in all its stages and details” a day after Hamas urged Israel to move onto the second phase.

Egypt’s state information service reported on Friday that Israeli officials and Qatari and American mediators met in Cairo on Thursday for “intensive discussions.” However, it appears that none of those discussions ended.

Talks over the second phase of the ceasefire are intended to put an end to all the fighting in Gaza, including the release of all captives and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces.

There are still 59 captives in Gaza, according to Israel, 24 of whom are reportedly still alive.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated to reporters on Thursday that he was willing to release more hostages if the framework for phase one was extended. We’ll do that if it’s possible.

“No going back,” you say.

It’s not yet known what will happen next, according to Istanbul Zaim University professor Sami al-Arian.

According to Steve Witkoff, the American envoy, he has indicated that he wants to look into the possibility of extending phase one, which is the Israeli position. Hamas won’t agree to this, so that’s bad for any negotiations.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations have repeatedly urged the ceasefire to be continued if they are to aid Palestinians living in the coastal region, which has been ravaged for 15 months.

The World Food Programme stated in a post on X that “the impact of safe and sustained humanitarian access is obvious.” “There must be a truce.” There is no such thing as a return.

The talks on the second phase of the ceasefire are “critical,” according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday.

The hostage release and ceasefire must continue. The upcoming weeks are crucial. At UN headquarters in New York, Guterres remarked to the parties that they must make every effort to prevent a deal from breaking down.

Fear of the reprisal of the conflict

According to Tareq Abu Azzoum, a journalist for Al Jazeera in Gaza, there may be “a surge” in military activity because there are no longer any obligations to maintain the ceasefire.

The mediators’ efforts to contain this crisis and stop a return of fighting that will only lead to further devastation for the people of Gaza, he continued, “have left that up in the air.”

Since the ceasefire started on January 19, Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has reported more than 350 violations by Israel, including military incursions, gunfire, air strikes, intensified surveillance, and aid obstructing.

Since the ceasefire ended, the Israeli army has carried out numerous airstrikes and shootings against Palestinians, according to the GMO.