A girl shows a traditional lantern to a toddler, ahead of the iftar fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at a displacement camp at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
The Egyptian sources indicated the sides may soon move towards negotiating the second phase of the deal, noting that Hamas had insisted during the talks on sticking to the original phased ceasefire agreement.
According to Reuters, Hamas wants to move to the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, where the sides would hash out an end to the fighting.
"Israel wants to prolong the ceasefire, securing the release of hostages but without reaching a final agreement with Hamas on ending the war," Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Cairo stressed the need to uphold the ceasefire till the end of the war, saying this would facilitate the implementation of Egypt's reconstruction plan for Gaza, adopted by the Cairo summit on Tuesday.
Egypt’s reconstruction plan, unanimously approved by Arab nations during the summit, is the country’s response to US President Donald Trump's colonial proposal of a US “takeover” to turn Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera” and displace its native Palestinian population.
On Wednesday, Trump issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas to release all remaining captives held in the Gaza Strip, noting that there would be repercussions for Gaza as a whole.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform, the US President directed a sharply worded message, stressing that he is “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.”
Earlier this week, Hamas rejected a US-Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner swap deal — mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US — for one month.
The proposal did not include any guarantees that Tel Aviv would permanently end its war on Gaza.
Moreover, Hamas stated it is willing to release all captives in phase two — but only in exchange for the freedom of a larger group of Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and Israel’s complete withdrawal from the strip.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which went into effect on 19 January and expired on Saturday, included a surge in humanitarian aid to alleviate near-famine conditions in the strip.
On Sunday, Israel suspended the entry of all goods and supplies to Gaza, renewing its deadly blockade on the strip, warning of “additional consequences” if Hamas does not accept a proposal for extending the first phase of the ceasefire and releasing more captives.
Israel’s decision to block aid has disrupted the agreed transition to the second phase, which was supposed to include negotiations on a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and an end to the war.
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed on Wednesday that US officials have engaged in direct talks with Hamas, breaking from a longstanding policy of avoiding direct engagement.
The direct talks between a US official and Hamas, held in Doha in recent days, marks the first known direct contact since the State Department designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
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