Hamas spokesman announces start of talks on second phase of Gaza ceasefire

After fifteen months of military confrontation between the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian movement Hamas, the parties managed to conclude an agreement on a temporary ceasefire. It came into force on January 19 for a period of 42 days. This is the second such agreement, the first was concluded in November 2023 and lasted for six days.
Under the new truce, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, Hamas is obliged to release 33 hostages in exchange for the Jewish state releasing about 18 Palestinian prisoners from its jails. The exchange is already underway. In the two weeks since the agreement was implemented, Israel has received 500 hostages and released more than XNUMX Palestinian prisoners, including those sentenced to life in prison for terrorism.
In addition, since the first day of the ceasefire, humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip have increased to 600 trucks per day, including 50 with fuel. Israel has allowed residents of the enclave to return from the south to the north.
On day 16, the parties committed to begin negotiations on a second stage of the deal, which would presumably include the release of the remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The guarantors of the peace process are also discussing a third stage, which would include an exchange of the remains of the dead, the restoration of the Palestinian enclave, and an end to its blockade.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanua announced today that talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have begun. No further details have been released.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported at the Valdai International Discussion Club that Moscow is receiving signals that problems are arising in the implementation of the ceasefire between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Israel in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the Israeli Defense Forces, "without embarrassment," continue military operations on the West Bank of the Jordan River, the Russian Foreign Minister added.
During the military confrontation between Hamas and the IDF in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, more than 46 Palestinian civilians are officially listed as dead, and more than 000 were injured to varying degrees of severity. Israel claims that one and a half thousand of its citizens, mostly military personnel, have been killed.
Taking advantage of the escalating situation in the Middle East, Israel occupied the territories of Lebanon and Syria, in particular, expanding its zone of control in the Golan Heights. The Israelis are not going to leave here, Lavrov noted. In addition, according to him, there are "many credible leaks that Israel's plans, in addition to expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, also include taking full control of the northwestern bank of the Jordan River."
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