Report: Security cabinet won’t discuss 2nd stage of deal until later in week

The security cabinet will only begin discussions on a potential second stage of the hostage-ceasefire deal on Tuesday or Thursday, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

It is unclear what is causing a delay to the start of the deliberations, the outlet reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s return flight from the United States is expected to land back in Israel later today.

Initially, Israel said that the negotiations for the second stage would only resume after Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff. That meeting took place last week.

Kan reports that it was later said that the discussions would only be held after the security cabinet had discussed the matter after Netanyahu’s return to Israel.

Though talks for the second phase were supposed to commence on February 3, Netanyahu pushed off sending a negotiating team, in what is apparently a violation of the deal’s terms.

A working-level negotiating team, led by the outgoing Shin Bet deputy director — known by his Hebrew initial “Mem” — has arrived in Doha, but is reportedly empowered to discuss only the first phase, not the second.

The delay in talks on the second phase has deeply worried the families of male hostages and those who have been killed, and are not set to be released until phases two and three.