Israel and Hamas will begin indirect negotiations on a second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal, officials said yesterday, as the Hamas said it would hand over more hostages, including the bodies of two children, this week.
Khalil Al Hayya, leader of Hamas in Gaza, said the bodies of four hostages, including those of the Bibas family, would be returned tomorrow. Six living hostages would follow on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a deal was reached in Cairo to secure the release of six living hostages on Saturday, four deceased hostages tomorrow and four more next week, but stopped short at naming any of them.
An Israeli official said deceased hostages will undergo identification in Israel before they are named.
Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to start on February 4 but Qatar, who together with Egypt and the United States is mediating between the sides, said the talks have not officially started yet.
“It will happen this week,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told a Press conference in Jerusalem.
Israel had given mixed signals in the past few weeks about its engagement in the talks over the next stage of the three-phased ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19 with the stated goal of permanently ending the Gaza war.
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