Israel threatens to renew military operations in Gaza as ceasefire talks stall, while Hamas calls on mediators to push for the second phase of the agreement.
Hours before the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement was set to expire, an Israeli official threatened to resume military operations.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas urged mediators, guarantors, and the international community to pressure Israel to move to the second phase of the agreement.
Israeli media quoted an official saying that returning to war was not a negotiating tactic, adding that Washington had agreed to back Israel if it chose to resume fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations the previous night with senior officials, including the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, strategic affairs, and finance, along with security service heads, to discuss the ceasefire’s next steps.
The Israeli delegation returned from Cairo after Hamas rejected an Israeli request to extend the first phase of the deal by 42 additional days without entering the second phase.
Sources on both sides described the indirect talks in Cairo as unsuccessful. Israeli Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu was considering resuming military operations, with officials saying Israel refused to withdraw from Gaza or end the war.
Despite the deadlock, Israeli and American media indicated that the Israeli delegation is expected to return to Cairo at a later stage.
Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor as part of the agreement but has so far avoided doing so.
Hamas Response
Hamas described Israel’s demands as unreasonable and held it responsible for the negotiations’ failure.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement and called on mediators and the international community to press Israel to enter the second phase without delay.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said no new negotiations on the second phase or prisoner exchange were underway, accusing Israel of trying to recover captives while leaving the door open to renewed aggression.
Israeli Plan for Gaza
The British newspaper The Guardian quoted humanitarian officials saying that the Israeli military presented the United Nations and aid organizations with a plan to impose stricter Israeli control over Gaza than before the war.
The plan reportedly involves distributing aid through heavily monitored logistics centers, where only Palestinians who pass security screening would receive supplies.
The proposal is based on the “humanitarian bubbles” system trialed in northern Gaza more than a year ago, which was abandoned after a few attempts.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement began on January 19, following mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, after 15 months of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed and injured over 160,000 people, leaving behind destruction on a scale unseen in modern history.
(PC, AJA)
