Trump's envoy sets date for start of second phase of Gaza deal talks, Egyptian discontent over Israel's lack of commitment

Talks on the second phase of the Gaza deal are expected to begin this week, Trump's envoy has announced. The deal is threatened by Israeli violations that have angered the Egyptian mediator.

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy said the ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" is holding, and indicated that talks on the second phase of the agreement will begin this week.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed, saying, "Phase two of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will definitely begin, and the talks will continue," noting that he had "very positive and constructive" phone conversations with Netanyahu, the mediators, the Qatari prime minister, and the head of Egyptian intelligence, according to the American Fox News network.

Witkov said that his contacts reviewed "the sequence of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and defining the positions of the two parties, so that we can understand where we stand today, to continue the talks this week in a place that will be determined so that we can know how to reach the end of the second phase successfully."

Trump's envoy said, "The second phase of the ceasefire agreement is a bit more complicated than the first phase, because it includes ending the war, Hamas not participating in the government, and its exit from Gaza," according to his expression.

"I think the situation is stable regarding the ceasefire in Gaza and things are going as they should," he added, adding that "implementing the first phase of the Gaza agreement was an achievement." He stated that "the conditions in Gaza are dangerous, and there are 30,000 unexploded shells throughout the Strip... All the buildings in Gaza have been demolished, and what happened in the Strip is total destruction."

Following Witkoff's remarks, Netanyahu's office announced that the Israeli security cabinet would discuss the second phase on Monday. He added that he had directed a delegation of Israeli negotiators to travel to Cairo for talks on Monday, and that after the cabinet meeting, the delegation would receive instructions on the second phase.

Israel's violations of the agreement

In return, Hamas held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the consequences of its violations of the prisoner exchange agreement, especially the humanitarian protocol. This comes despite promises it received from mediators before the release of the sixth batch of prisoners after announcing its suspension.

A statement by the movement said that the occupation is ignoring the terms of the agreement by preventing the entry of caravans and heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip. It also called on the mediators to assume their responsibilities by obligating the enemy to stop its violations of the agreement and immediately begin negotiations for the second phase.

The movement pointed out that the occupation's hesitation in starting the second phase negotiations reveals Netanyahu's intention to obstruct the agreement and his quest to return to aggression.

For its part, the government media office in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation has not yet committed to bringing in basic equipment to the Strip. It confirmed that "no caravans or heavy equipment have entered the Strip so far." It added: "Israel's failure to abide by the terms of the agreement puts the mediators in an awkward position."

Egyptian discontent

A state of discontent prevails in the official circles concerned with the mediation file in the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli government’s breach of understandings that were recently reached after Hamas suspended the release of prisoners and Egyptian-Qatari intervention to release them, according to what was reported by the newspaper. "The New Arab" .

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced last Monday the postponement of the release of Israeli prisoners until the occupation adheres to the humanitarian protocol according to the terms of the agreement. The mediators succeeded in moving forward with the agreement, confirming the parties’ commitment to implementing all terms of the agreement, including the humanitarian protocol.

Egyptian, American and Israeli contacts took place yesterday, Saturday - according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed - during which officials in Cairo expressed their anger at the Israeli actions, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued directives not to allow the passage of prefabricated houses and heavy equipment.

According to recent Egyptian-Israeli understandings, Hamas was supposed to hand over the sixth batch of Israeli prisoners, while Israel would allow the entry of trucks of prefabricated homes (caravans) and heavy equipment on Saturday evening, following the delivery of the batch.

According to Egyptian sources, Israeli security officials notified their counterparts in Cairo that trucks would begin entering Gaza at 6 pm on Saturday, before Cairo was surprised by the Israeli refusal, claiming that the security services opposed the move.

There is a state of ambiguity regarding the seventh batch of Israeli prisoners, which is scheduled for next Saturday, if the Israeli refusal to allow the entry of equipment and caravans continues, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, which quoted an Egyptian source as saying, “It is not unlikely that in the coming days, a crisis will be repeated that will disrupt the agreement and disrupt the prisoner deal.”

On January 19, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect. Its first phase will last for 42 days, during which prisoners will be exchanged, humanitarian aid will be brought in, and negotiations will begin to start the second and third phases, with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt and the support of the United States.

The ceasefire agreement stipulates that negotiations on the second phase will begin 16 days after the first phase goes into effect, i.e. on February 3, but Netanyahu postponed sending his negotiating delegation to Doha after meeting with US President Donald Trump on the 4th of the same month, and sent a technical delegation that was not authorized to negotiate the second phase of the agreement.

Source: Agencies + Al-Araby Al-Jadeed