UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS
By Ahmed Asmar and Mohammad Sio
Qatar reported a “positive atmosphere” on Tuesday to start negotiations for the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“There is a positive atmosphere that may encourage the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.
He, however, noted that the talks have not started yet, expressing hope that the negotiations will start “soon.”
Ansari said the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza was “insufficient,” stressing that it “must not turn into a bargaining chip.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said early Tuesday that the second-phase negotiations of the Gaza deal will start this week.
Sa’ar said Israel will demand a “full demilitarization” of the Gaza Strip, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper.
An unnamed Israeli political source said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “pledged” to allow the entry of mobile homes and engineering equipment into Gaza in exchange for the release of six living Israeli hostages and four bodies of captives.
Hamas said early Tuesday that it will transfer the bodies of four hostages on Thursday and release six living captives on Saturday.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the Security Cabinet proposed expanding the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to allow the entry of mobile homes and heavy machinery into Gaza in return for the release of six living Israeli captives.
The Security Cabinet already held a meeting on Monday evening, but no statement was issued about its discussions.
On Sunday, Ismail Al-Thawabta, who heads Gaza’s government media office, told Anadolu that no mobile homes or heavy equipment necessary for infrastructure rehabilitation had entered the enclave, warning that this delay was worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal has been in place since Jan. 19, pausing Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 48,300 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.
Under the agreement, 19 Israeli captives and five Thai workers have so far been released in exchange for 1,135 Palestinian prisoners.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.