Israel and Hamas

Negotiations on ceasefire continue

At the weekend, Israelis once again took to the streets in Tel Aviv and demanded a hostage agreement from their government.(Bild: APA/AFP/Menahem KAHANA)

Negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are picking up speed. Israel's government and Hamas are entering the second phase of the agreement this week, as reported by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Witkoff said he had had very "productive and constructive" telephone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatar's Prime Minister bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. The governments of the USA, Egypt and Qatar had acted as mediators for the current first phase of the ceasefire and an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. It has been in force since January 19 and ends on March 1.

It is still uncertain whether the second phase of the agreement will come into effect. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened in Jerusalem on Sunday that the "gates of hell" would open in the Gaza Strip if the hostages were not released.

Half of the hostages probably dead
The hostages remaining in the coastal area have been held captive for 500 days. 73 people are still being held, 36 of whom are probably no longer alive. The Forum of Relatives of the Kidnapped has called for rallies and a day of fasting on Monday to commemorate their fate.

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv accused Netanyahu at the weekend of wanting to thwart the continuation of the ceasefire in order not to alienate his far-right coalition partners and keep himself in power. The coalition partners want to continue the war in Gaza and completely destroy Hamas.