Qatar'sprime minister on Sunday called on Israel and Hamas to immediately begin negotiating phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, adding that there is no clear plan for when talks will begin, Reuters reported.&We demand (Hamas and Israel) to engage immediately as stipulated in the agreement,& Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at a press conference held jointly with Turkey'sforeign minister in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday.According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin before the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday.Israel and Hamas last month reached a complex three-phase accord that has halted the fighting in Gaza.
Hamas has so far released 18 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.There are more than 70 hostages still held in Gaza, Reuters reported.The second stage of the accord is expected to include Hamas releasing all remaining hostages held in Gaza, a permanent end to hostilities and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.&There is nothing yet clear about where the delegations will come and when it'sgoing to take place,& Sheikh Mohammed said.Mediators have engaged with Hamas and Israel over the phone and Qatar has set an agenda for the next phase of negotiations, he said.&We hope that we start to see some movement in the next few days.
It'scritical that we get things rolling from now in order to get to an agreement before day 42.&Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu'soffice said he would begin negotiations on phase two of the agreement on Monday in Washington, when he is set to meet U.S.
President Donald Trump'sMiddle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff.During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel'spositions in respect to the ceasefire, the prime minister'soffice said.
Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have mediated between Israel and Hamas over the past 15 months with backing from Washington, read the report.The post Qatar'sprime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two first appeared on Ariana News.