Hamas says there's been 'no progress' on second ceasefire phase in
indirect talks with Israel
[March 01, 2025]
By SAMY MAGDY and DAVID RISING
CAIRO (AP) — The latest round of talks on the second phase of the
ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has made no progress so far, and it
was unclear whether the talks would resume on Saturday, a senior Hamas
official said.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which paused 15 months of fighting in
the Gaza Strip, saw the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies,
in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Phase one expires on Saturday, but under the terms of the deal, fighting
is not to resume while negotiations are underway on the second phase,
which could end the war in Gaza and see the remaining living hostages
returned home.
Officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been
involved in negotiations on the second phase in Cairo, with the goal of
bringing an end to the war with the return of all remaining living
hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Hamas did not attend the talks, but its position has been represented
through Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’
political bureau, told The Associated Press there had been “no progress”
on finding a solution before Israeli negotiators returned home on
Friday.
It was unclear whether those mediators were going to return to Cairo to
resume talks on Saturday as has been expected, and Naim said he had “no
idea” when negotiations might start again.
Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 2023 attack that left 1,200 dead
in Israel. Since then, Israel’s military offensive has killed more than
48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, who do not
differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths but say that more
than half the dead have been women and children.
The two sides agreed to the three-phase ceasefire deal in January, with
the aim of bringing an end to the war.
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Palestinians hang decorations next to their destroyed homes in
preparation for the holy month of Ramadan in Khan Younis, southern
Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
On Friday, Hamas said that it “reaffirms its full commitment to
implementing all terms of the agreement in all its stages and details”
and called on the international community to pressure Israel to
“immediately proceed to the second phase without any delay or evasion.”
In addition to phase two of the ceasefire, the office of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that mediators in the talks
were “also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid
to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the
population and support stability in the region.”
Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal to extend the ceasefire’s first
phase by 42 days, saying it goes against the truce agreement, according
to a member of the group who requested anonymity to discuss the
closed-door negotiations.
The Israeli proposal calls for extending the ceasefire through the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started on Saturday, in return for
an additional hostage exchange, the Hamas member said.
The U.N. food agency, the World Food Program, said in a post on social
media on Saturday that it reached 1 million Palestinians across Gaza
during the deal’s first phase.
The pause in fighting helped “restoring distribution points, reopening
bakeries, and expanding cash assistance,” the agency said.
“The ceasefire must hold,” it said. “There can be no going back.”
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Rising reported from Bangkok
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