 "Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. AP File")
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday said that negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin soon as the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government pushes for complete demilitarisation of the Strip.
Although talks on the second phase of the ceasefire were supposed to happen before the first phase ends on March 2, mediator Qatar has announced that discussions have not begun yet.
A “Hezbollah model” in Gaza would not be acceptable to Israel “and therefore we need a total demilitarisation of Gaza and no presence of the Palestinian Authority”, Saar said in a press conference.
Like the first phase, the second phase will similarly see the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees.
The foreign minister added that Israel was aware of an alternative plan by Arab states for Gaza, made to counter US President Donald Trump’s proposal to redevelop the strip under US control, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said is worthy of exploration.
Israel would not support a plan that would see civilian control of Gaza transferred from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority, Saar said.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops withdrew from all but five points in south Lebanon on Tuesday, allowing displaced residents to return to border villages largely destroyed in more than a year of hostilities.
“The entire village has been reduced to rubble. It’s a disaster zone,” said Alaa al-Zein, back in Kfar Kila after the delayed withdrawal deadline expired Tuesday morning under an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIsrael had announced just before the pullout deadline that it would keep troops in “five strategic points” near the border, and on Tuesday its defence minister, Israel Katz, confirmed the deployment and vowed action against any “violation” by militant group Hezbollah.
With inputs from agencies