Senior officials from the United States, Israel, and Egypt are reportedly already advancing discussions for the second phase of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement, starting earlier than originally planned, by roughly two weeks.
The update comes as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani expressed his readiness to mediate talks on the second stage of the three-phase deal without delay. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, reiterated his determination to reach the second phase amid fears that Israel may resume military action once the first stage concludes. Al Thani confirmed to Walla that he intends to initiate talks with Mossad chief David Barnea this week, saying, “We are pushing for this.”
Al Thani made his comments while attending the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. Witkoff is also expected to engage in discussions on the second phase upon his arrival, according to Walla.
An unnamed senior Israeli official told Walla that Israel is open to beginning the talks before the 16th day of the first phase but warned that the negotiations could take time. “Negotiations on the first phase lasted months, and reaching an agreement on the second phase may also take a long time,” the official explained. Previously, Israeli sources had indicated that talks were scheduled to begin on day 16 of the first phase.
Another Israeli source revealed that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Barnea discussed the deal during meetings with Egyptian intelligence in Cairo this week. However, the official noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet participated in any discussions about the second phase. Still, the official emphasized Israel’s commitment to completing the ceasefire plan. Channel 12 reported that while in Egypt, Bar and Barnea focused on the second phase’s specifics, such as the number of Palestinian security prisoners to be released for each Israeli hostage freed.
Qatar, Egypt, and the United States facilitated the multi-stage agreement between Israel and Hamas, with the two Arab nations establishing a communications center in Cairo to prevent further clashes. Despite these developments, uncertainty surrounds the latter phases of the ceasefire agreement. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has claimed that Netanyahu promised him the fighting will resume after the first phase ends, and Smotrich has vowed to prevent any deal that halts the war before Hamas is fully defeated. Even Trump, who has promoted his role in securing the agreement, expressed doubt on Monday, stating that he was “not confident” the ceasefire and hostage release deal would be upheld through all three phases.
Trump also mentioned on Tuesday that he is considering a visit to the Middle East, although not in the immediate future. Arab diplomats speaking with The Times of Israel credited both Trump and Witkoff for their roles in pushing the deal to completion, particularly through their pressure on Netanyahu.
In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Witkoff stressed that the success of the second stage is contingent on successfully securing the release of more hostages. “We have to make sure that the implementation goes well, because if it goes well, we’ll get into phase two, and we’re going to get a lot more live bodies out,” Witkoff said.
{Matzav.com Israel}