The China Mail - Hamas pushes for phase two of Gaza truce talks

Representatives of the Palestinian militant group met with mediators in Cairo at the weekend, emphasising the need for humanitarian aid to re-enter the besieged territory "without restrictions or conditions", according to a Hamas press release.

The high-level delegation also stressed the need for "moving directly to begin negotiations for the second phase" of the deal, which will aim to lay the groundwork for a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas's demands for the second phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the blockade, the reconstruction of the territory and financial support, an official told AFP.

Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua said indicators were so far "positive".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office meanwhile said it would send delegates to Doha on Monday.

Israel has maintained it wants an extension of the truce's first phase until mid-April.

That initial period ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included the exchange of 25 living hostages and eight bodies for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The truce largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, where virtually the entire population was displaced by Israel's relentless military campaign in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

It also enabled the flow of vital food, shelter and medical assistance into Gaza.

After Israel turned the pipeline off again, UN rights experts accused the government of "weaponising starvation".

Displaced Palestinian widow Haneen al-Dura told AFP she and her children spent a month and a half living on the street "among dogs and rats" before receiving a tent.

"As the family's provider, it was distressing and I couldn't sleep at all during the night," she said.

- 'Last warning' -

Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages are not released, issuing what he called a "last warning" to Hamas leaders.

He also warned of repercussions for all Gazans, telling them: "A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!"

Hamas said Trump's threats would only encourage Israel to ignore the terms of their truce.

The Trump administration has also confirmed the start of unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, which Washington had previously refused contact with since designating it a terrorist organisation in 1997.

Of the 251 hostages taken by the Palestinian militants, 58 remain in Gaza, including five Americans. Four American captives have been confirmed dead, while one, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.

The White House said Trump met with eight of the freed captives, who "expressed gratitude" for his efforts to bring them home.

The US president previously floated a widely condemned plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, prompting Arab leaders to offer an alternative. Their proposal would see Gaza's reconstruction financed through a trust fund, with the Palestinian Authority returning to govern the territory.

"We need more discussion about it, but it's a good-faith first step," Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, told reporters in Washington in response to the plan.

Witkoff will be returning to the region this week as he travels to Saudi Arabia for talks on the war in Ukraine.

At their regular weekend rally in Tel Aviv, families of Israeli hostages demanded the government fully implement the ceasefire.

"The war could resume in a week -- they have even picked a name for the operation," Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan Zangauker, told the candle and poster-wielding crowd.

"The war won't bring the hostages back home, it will kill them."

Recently released hostages have also joined those beseeching Netanyahu to implement the ceasefire.

Hamas's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,446 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers these figures reliable.

L.Johnson--ThChM