Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman has denied a report that Hamas is willing to transfer control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA). According to Omer Dostri, Netanyahu’s spokesman, “Palestinian Authority control of Gaza is not going to happen.” This statement comes after a report suggested that Hamas was open to handing over the control of the territory to the PA. However, it remains unclear if such an agreement is likely to be reached.
The Israeli government will convene its security cabinet on Monday to discuss Stage 2 of the current Gaza cease-fire deal. The US Middle East envoy, Marvin Witkoff, also announced that talks between Israel and Hamas on a possible ceasefire will continue this week. In related news, Hezbollah’s chief has stated that Israel must fully withdraw from Lebanon by February 18 in order to avoid further conflict.
Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-17/ty-article-live/.premium/trump-on-saturday-hostage-release-deadline-i-told-bibi-do-what-you-want/00000195-11c4-d0af-a197-dbd5e2230000