Hamas calls on Israel to start talks for next phase of truce

GAZA CITY

Hamas on Thursday said that it is ready negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, calling on Israel to enter the talks.

Hamas handed over to Israel the bodies of four hostages held in Gaza since its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.

This marked the final swap under the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect on Jan. 19.

With the first phase set to conclude on March 1, negotiations over a second phase have not yet begun.

Hamas said in a statement that the “only way” for Israel to secure the release of the remaining hostages was through negotiations and adhering to the agreement.

It warned that any attempt to pull back from the truce “will only lead to more suffering” for the captives and their families.

Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners had been released overnight. Under the first phase of the deal, Hamas freed 25 living hostages and returned to Israel the bodies of eight others, some of them dual nationals.

Israel, in return, was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, among them women and minors, in staggered releases.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group said Israel had freed 596 prisoners in exchange for the bodies yesterday.

It said 46 prisoners were yet to be released to complete the swap, "all women and minors from Gaza" who were arrested after the war began.

"We have cut off the path before the enemy's false justifications, and it has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase," Hamas said on Telegram.

In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump's top envoy to the Middle East said Israeli representatives were en route to talks on the next phase of the ceasefire.

"We're making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak," Steve Witkoff told an event for the American Jewish Committee.

"It's either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris."

In the meantime, the sources said that Israel will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip as called for by the ceasefire.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli forces needed to remain in the Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent weapons smuggling.