Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he expects Israel and Hamas to move into the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire agreement “very shortly.” However, other world leaders have doubts even about the first phase, as they, as well as human rights organizations, say Israel committed multiple ceasefire violations since an agreement was made on Oct. 10.
Speaking at a news conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who in Jerusalem, Netanyau said “nobody believed” the first phase of the ceasefire would happen, but “we’re almost there.” Before that happens, the remains of a deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, need to be returned by Hamas, he added.
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Once they are, Netanyahu said, “we very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult, or equally difficult.”
Bringing an end to Hamas’ rule in Gaza is something Netanyahu said he plans to discuss with U.S. President Donald Trump when the two meet later this month.
Foreign ministers talk about ‘daily’ ceasefire violations
On Saturday during an interview at the Doha Forum, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was quoted by Reuters as saying that negotiations in the Israel-Hamas war are at a “critical” moment.
“It’s not yet there. So what we have just done is a pause,” al-Thani said. “We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire. A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces — (until) there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out — which is not the case today.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the forum Saturday Trump needs to have a “very substantial conversation” with Netanyahu, and that if he doesn’t intervene, “there is a risk that the plan can fail because of the daily violations of the ceasefire by the Israelis.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also addressed violations of the ceasefire, calling for the deployment of the International Stabilization Force “as soon as possible.”
“Israel is every day violating the ceasefire and claiming that the other side is violating [it], so we need monitors,” Abdelatty said.
Israeli forces, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, have killed more than 370 Palestinians even after a ceasefire agreement was announced. In the past 24 hours, the bodies of at least six people killed in attacks were brought to hospitals, The Associated Press reported.
While Israel maintains that its military is responding to ceasefire violations by Hamas, some of the dead have included children.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 70,360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, per Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel’s offensive started after Hamas militants attacked the country, killing 1,200 and taking at least 251 hostage. Most of the living hostages and the bodies of deceased hostages have been released in previous negotiations.
Second phase of ceasefire
Trump plans to announce before Christmas that the 20-point plan is moving into its second phase, Axios reported earlier this week, citing two U.S. officials and a Western source it said is directly involved in negotiations.
“The Trump administration and our partners are working diligently to implement President Trump’s historic 20-point plan that will deliver security and prosperity to Gazans and the broader region,” a White House official told the outlet.
An “essential” part of the second phase of a ceasefire would be bringing “an end to the Hamas rule in Gaza,” as well as the disarmament of the group, Netanyahu said Sunday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ decision-making political bureau, said it is ready for discussions on “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons.
“We are open to have a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or in order to avoid any further clashes or explosions,” Naim told the AP.
Along with the disarmment of Hamas, a new phase of the peace plan would involve creating an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory. An international “board of peace” led by Trump would oversee how the deal is implemented.
