Gaza: Readiness to start second phase negotiations and a continuous flow of returnees to the north

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza entered its tenth day, amid the continued return of residents of northern Gaza to their homes, as the government media office in Gaza said that 300,000 displaced Palestinians returned on Monday from the southern and central governorates to the governorates of Gaza and the north.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that 48 martyrs and 80 wounded arrived at the Strip’s hospitals during the past 48 hours, including 37 whose bodies were recovered, and 11 who were shot by the occupation forces. This brings the death toll from the war of extermination to 47,354 martyrs and 111,563 wounded since October 7, 2023, according to the ministry’s daily report.

On the negotiations front, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari announced in a press conference today, Tuesday, the continuation of preparing the atmosphere for the start of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will be held on the sixteenth day of the start of implementing the agreement in its first phase, while a delegation from the Hamas movement met in Cairo with Egyptian officials for this purpose.

This comes as US President Donald Trump reiterated on Monday his desire to move Palestinians from Gaza to “safer” places such as Egypt or Jordan, revealing that he will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington “very soon.” Trump had floated the idea of “cleansing” Gaza on Saturday after more than 15 months of Israeli war that turned the strip into a “ruined” land.

In contrast, the United Nations opposed Trump’s proposal to displace Palestinians, saying: “We will be against any plan that leads to the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, or leads to any kind of ethnic cleansing.” Egypt, Jordan, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation expressed their rejection of Trump’s call to displace Palestinians in statements and declarations on Sunday and Monday, and called for support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the Axios news website quoted an American official as saying that Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Saudi Arabia today, Tuesday, to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while he will visit Tel Aviv on Wednesday to meet with Netanyahu.

(New Arab)