Israeli official says talks set to kick off on hostage deal’s 2nd phase

It was “no coincidence” that US special envoy Steve Witkoff said yesterday that talks on a second stage of the hostage deal would start this week, and that the Prime Minister’s Office announced shortly afterward that a team would be headed to Cairo, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

Nor did Israel’s decision come about as the result of US pressure, says the official. “The moment Hamas carried out the recent hostage release, as far as we’re concerned, we’re continuing the agreement.”

“There is no change to the continuation of the deal. That means entering now into talks on the second phase,” says the official, adding that it will happen after the security cabinet approves the Israeli positions. The ministerial body is set to convene today.

The official insists that under no circumstances will Hamas be allowed to stay in Gaza whether through negotiations or by other means. “War is a means, not a goal. The goal is that Hamas will not remain in power.”

Israel is still working on getting the six remaining living hostages to be freed in the ongoing first stage out as soon as possible, says the official, either during the week or on Saturday.

Israel is “embracing with both hands” US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, says the official, stressing that it would entail voluntary migration from Gaza. “Our goal is to allow the creation of an infrastructure to enable Gazans to leave, and we assess that many will leave.”

This doesn’t have to wait for the end of the war, says the official. “We are trying in the near term to implement his vision and lay out technical, operational and practical details.”

According to Sky News Arabia, Hamas told mediating countries that it was willing to hand over governance of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. It made the decision under pressure from Egypt, according to the report.

“Not going to happen,” Netanyahu spokesman Omer Dostri writes on X.