Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has directed the negotiation team to head to Cairo on Thursday to resume discussions on the continuation of the hostage deal with Hamas following the completion of Phase 1.
The decision came after the premier held consultations centering on whether Israel would send a delegation for the next stage of negotiations.
Following the announcement, anonymous Israeli officials told reporters that Israel expects Hamas to release additional captives as early as Shabbos, in exchange for an extension of the truce.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit the region early next week, including a stop in Israel.
Witkoff announced on Tuesday that Israel will send a delegation to Doha or Cairo to advance Phase 2 of the hostage deal. Speaking at an American Jewish Committee meeting in Washington, he highlighted significant progress and efforts to secure the release of more hostages. Witkoff added that he may join the talks if they yield positive results.
In an interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, Witkoff said that the administration’s ability to get Phase 1 of the deal over the finish line was “an accomplishment in and of itself.”
On the ongoing negotiations with Hamas on Phase 2, Witkoff noted that the president was “intolerant toward terrorists; that’s a fact. He’s got a red line with regard to people who do heinous things like this.
“There’s no room for Hamas in Gaza or in the West Bank,” the U.S. envoy said of Jerusalem’s condition that the Strip be fully demilitarized. “You can see from their actions that they haven’t earned that right to be there, so that’s the president’s position and we follow that direction.”
Discussions on the return of the remaining hostages are set to begin in Cairo in the coming days, and Israel intends to send a delegation to these talks, building on the groundwork established over the past two weeks in the U.S. between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Witkoff, Yisroel Hayom reported on Wednesday.
Defense Minister Yisroel Katz declared on Thursday that the first phase of the ceasefire is complete, emphasizing Israel’s commitment to securing the return of more hostages from Gaza.
Speaking at a conference of regional council heads, he highlighted that Israel has recovered 25 hostages alive, including female soldiers, and eight deceased individuals.
Katz stressed that Israel agreed to the ceasefire solely to facilitate hostage recovery, not due to ammunition shortages or the fatigue of soldier. He warned that Hamas must understand the IDF is prepared to resume combat and reiterated that Hamas will not retain control over Gaza.
Additionally, Katz expressed support for facilitating voluntary Palestinian emigration, stating that Israel is advancing plans to enable departures via Ashdod Port or Ramon Airport near Eilat if Trump’s initiative moves forward.
Israeli sources told Israel Hayom that Hamas faces three possible paths: surrender, disarmament and exile to bring the war to an end; extending Phase 1 of the truce through further exchanges of hostages for terrorist prisoners and increased humanitarian aid; or a return to full-scale combat.
The IDF will not pull out of the Philadelphi Corridor that separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt, an Israeli official told reporters on Thursday, saying Israel would refuse to allow Hamas terrorists regroup and again attack Israeli communities.
“We will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor. We will not allow the Hamas murderers to again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rearm through smuggling,” the source said in a statement made to Israeli reporters on condition of anonymity.
This commitment comes despite the ceasefire’s requirement for the Israel Defense Forces to vacate the stretch, some 110-yards wide and 8.7-miles long, along Gaza’s border with Sinai, eight days after the first phase of the truce. JNS
{Matzav.com Israel}