Israel, Hamas signal readiness for next ceasefire talks as mediators push for progress

Israel and Hamas signalled today that they were preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators pushed ahead with talks to extend the fragile 42-day truce that began on January 19th.

Hamas said there were “positive indicators” for the start of the ceasefire’s second-phase talks but did not elaborate.

Israel also said it was preparing for talks. “Israel has accepted the invitation of the mediators backed by the U.S., and will send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance the negotiations,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

With officials from Qatar, the Egyptian mediators have been facilitating talks for the ceasefire and a delegation from Hamas is already engaging in negotiations for an extension of the ceasefire deal in Cairo.

Hamas spokesperson, Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said in a statement that ‘We affirm our readiness to engage in the second-phase negotiations in a way that meets the demands of our people, and we call for intensified efforts to aid the Gaza Strip and lift the blockade on our suffering people’.

But there was trouble on the ground, as an Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed two Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza, medical sources informed Reuters. It came after another Israeli drone strike killed two people in Gaza on Friday.