Jerusalem: Israel is preparing to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Israel is preparing for the working-echelon delegation to leave for Doha at the end of this week in order to discuss technical details related to the continued implementation of the agreement,” the statement said.
Next week, the Security Cabinet is expected to convene to discuss Israel’s overall position regarding the second stage of the deal, which according to the office, “will guide the continuation of the negotiations.”
The announcement followed Netanyahu’s meetings in Washington with US National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz and President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Netanyahu is set to meet Trump later Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s office said discussions would focus on the fragile truce and efforts to end the war in Gaza. The prime minister also hinted at discussions on efforts to advance a possible normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Gaza deal includes a 42-day initial phase of truce, during which a total of 33 hostages and hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails are to be released. Talks on implementing the second phase were due to begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire, which fell on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.
However, Netanyahu said on Saturday that he would send a negotiation team to Doha only after he meets with Witkoff and Waltz in Washington.
The ceasefire took effect on January 19, putting a pause on 15 months of Israeli military operations in Gaza that left the Palestinian enclave devastated and killed around 62,000 people, including more than 17,000 children, according to the health authorities in Gaza.
(IANS)
