Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Israel dispatches negotiating team to Cairo to discuss current phase of hostage deal
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with the US secretary of state, at his office in Jerusalem on February 16, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs a negotiating team to head to Cairo tomorrow for talks on the continuation of the first phase of the hostage deal with Hamas, his office announces.
The Prime Minister’s Office stresses that the decision was made “in coordination” with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who spoke with Netanyahu earlier today.
After tomorrow’s security cabinet meeting, says the PMO, the team will “receive instructions on the continuation of the negotiations on phase two subjects.”
