Israel and Hamas signal readiness for new ceasefire talks as mediators seek progress

(Patria) - Israel and Hamas signaled on Saturday that they are preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators pushed forward with talks to extend the fragile forty-two-day truce that began in January, Reuters reported.

Hamas said there were "positive indications" for the start of the second phase of ceasefire negotiations, but did not provide details. Israel said it would send a delegation to Doha, Qatar on Monday to advance negotiations after accepting an invitation from mediators.

A Hamas delegation is participating in ceasefire negotiations in Cairo with Egyptian mediators who have helped facilitate the talks along with officials from Qatar. Their goal is to move to the next phase of the agreement, which could pave the way for an end to the war.

"We confirm our readiness to engage in the second phase of negotiations in a way that meets the demands of our people and call for intensive efforts to help the Gaza Strip and lift the blockade on our suffering people," Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said in a statement.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: "Israel has accepted the invitation of US-backed mediators and will send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance negotiations."

As diplomacy continues, an Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed two Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza, medical sources said. The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted a drone that crossed from Israel into southern Gaza and "several suspects" who were trying to retrieve it in what appeared to be a failed smuggling attempt.

The strike came a day after an Israeli drone killed two people in Gaza on Friday. The Israeli military said it attacked a group of suspected militants operating near its troops in northern Gaza and planting an explosive device in the ground.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect in January calls for the release of the remaining 59 hostages in Hamas captivity in the second phase, during which final plans to end the war would be negotiated.

The first phase of the truce ended last week, and Israel has since imposed a complete blockade on all goods entering the enclave, demanding that Hamas release the remaining hostages without starting negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

Fighting has been halted since January 19, and Hamas has released 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli authorities believe that less than half of the remaining 59 hostages are still alive.

More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault on the enclave. Almost the entire population of Gaza has been internally displaced, leading to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.

The assault began after Hamas-led Islamist fighters raided southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.