The latest round of talks on the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has made no progress, and it’s unclear whether they will resume on Saturday, a senior Hamas official said.
Phase one expires today, but under the deal’s terms, fighting should not resume while negotiations are underway for phase two, which could end the war in Gaza, see Israeli troops withdraw and see the remaining living hostages returned home. According to the IDF, at least 35 of the 59 hostages still in Gaza are confirmed dead.
Officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been involved in negotiations on the second phase in Cairo on Thursday. Hamas did not attend, but its position has been represented through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, tells The Associated Press there had been “no progress” before Israeli negotiators returned home on Friday.
Naim says he had “no idea” when negotiations might resume.
Until Thursday, Israel had been largely refusing to even hold negotiations regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to have started nearly one month ago.
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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 1, 2025
