The fragile ceasefire in Gaza is facing a key deadline, with the first phase set to expire on Saturday. The pause in violence has been a result of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but talks have stalled over several issues.
Hamas has released 25 living hostages and four bodies in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, while Israel has delayed the release of some 600 prisoners who were supposed to be freed last weekend. The delay is due to disagreements over the treatment of the captives, who were paraded before crowds upon their release.
Israel is seeking an extension of the ceasefire to secure the freedom of more captives, but Hamas refuses to negotiate until the delayed prisoners are released. Negotiations for a second phase, which would involve the exchange of remains and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction process, are also underway.
The Egyptian government has refused to discuss an extension of the ceasefire unless talks on Phase 2 begin. Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Mideast envoy, aims to extend Phase 1 to buy time for negotiating the second phase.
However, Egypt demands that Israel completes its withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor and begins within eight days. Netanyahu has not publicly stated what he will do this weekend, despite facing pressure from hard-line coalition partners to resume the war against Hamas.
The ceasefire has yet to be completed, having only deepened mistrust on both sides. The situation remains tense, with mixed signals from Trump’s administration, which had previously taken credit for brokering the deal.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-deadline-78144c35a63d6531166bab8edb15bc3b