How is Israel violating the Gaza ceasefire deal?

According to Egypt, which is facilitating the discussions, Israel and Hamas are reportedly in talks to move forward with the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire that was agreed in January.

Israeli officials have made it clear that they are trying to alter the terms of the agreed-upon three-phase agreement, which could endanger its success even as the negotiations begin.

The first six-week phase of the agreement, which is scheduled to end on March 1st, would see the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza’s main population areas, the expansion of humanitarian aid, and the return of displaced people to the north of the region.

As part of the deal, &nbsp, in return for approximately 2, 000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention, Hamas has released 33 of the captives – including eight bodies.

The second phase of the agreement’s terms were purposefully vague, as many details would be worked out in upcoming negotiations. Details of a lasting ceasefire to end Israel’s conflict with Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 61,700 Palestinians, the complete withdrawal of Israel’s forces from the region, and the release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Hamas in exchange for an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners were among the terms to be agreed upon.

The reconstruction of the destroyed enclave and the future administration of Gaza would be the focus of the third stage of the agreement.

What has Israel said about the discussions?

Despite being a part of the previous agreement, an anonymous Israeli official said in a statement to reporters on Thursday that Israel had decided not to leave the land it occupied along the Gaza-Egypt border.

“We will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor. The official said, “We will not allow the Hamas murderers to once more cross our borders with pick-up trucks and weapons,” and we will not allow them to seize weapons and weapons from smuggling.

The Israeli military had begun new construction in the area around the border, according to satellite images obtained by Al Jazeera earlier this month.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also stated on Thursday that Israel’s delegation to Cairo would “see whether we have common ground to negotiate.”

“We said we are ready to extend the framework]of phase one] in return for the release of more hostages”, Saar told reporters.

Have phase one’s requirements been satisfied in every way?

On Wednesday, Hamas handed over the bodies of the last four Israeli prisoners whose bodies will be exchanged during the first phase of the agreement without a ceremony, and then Israel releases more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel had planned for the prisoners’ release to occur on Saturday, but it was delayed because of a ceremony held in Gaza where four Israeli prisoners’ bodies were released last week.

Hamas slammed the delay, denying that the ceremony had been humiliating and calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision “a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement,]that] represents a blatant violation of its terms, and shows the occupation’s lack of reliability in implementing its obligations”, a member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Risheq, said in a statement on Sunday.

Is this Israel’s first accusation of breaking the ceasefire?

Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) has reported more than 350 violations by Israel, including military incursions, gunfire, air strikes, intensified surveillance and the obstruction of aid&nbsp, since the ceasefire began.

Since the ceasefire ended, the Israeli army has carried out numerous airstrikes and shootings against Palestinians, according to the GMO. The GMO has previously reported shortfalls in the agreed levels of aid and emergency relief that were allowed into the enclave as well as delays in allowing displaced families to return to areas in northern Gaza.

Is the US pushing for an extension of the ceasefire?

Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy for US President Donald Trump, is reportedly traveling to the area this week to demand a prolongation of the current phase in order to move into stage two.

Witkoff also announced on Tuesday that a “summit” of developers would take place to determine Gaza’s future. However, it was not clear when or where this summit would be held, or whether it referred to the three-stage ceasefire deal, or Trump’s surprise plan to unilaterally “own” Gaza, as evidenced in a recent video shared on social media by the US president.

Trump has consistently referred to himself as a “peacemaker” and emphasised his role in securing the ceasefire. However, he has been more ambivalent about the outcome of the ceasefire agreement and made the suggestion that Israel should decide whether or not the conflict continues, aside from his much-detested Gaza plan, which critics have claimed would effectively lead to the ethnic cleansing of its Palestinian population.

Is the ceasefire popular in Israel?

Among the families of the captives, yes. Among Israel’s far-right and settler movements, no.

Many of the captives’ families believe that Netanyahu manipulated the ceasefire and war negotiations to advance his political goals.

However, the negotiated release of some 2, 000 Palestinian prisoners has also drawn the anger of Israel’s far-right and settler movements.

Source: Aljazeera