Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Sunday), spoke with US Presidential Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and informed him that he will convene the Security Cabinet tomorrow to discuss the second stage of the agreement.
In coordination with US Presidential Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, today (Sunday), instructed the negotiations team to leave for Cairo tomorrow in order to discuss the continued implementation of the first stage of the deal.
The Prime Minister's Office reported that after the cabinet discussion scheduled for tomorrow, the team will receive instructions for continuing negotiations on issues related to the second stage.
Witkoff said earlier that he had held "very productive and constructive” phone calls today. He emphasized that talks will continue during the coming week, with the aim of understanding how to successfully reach the end of the second stage.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff stated: "Phase B is more complicated than Phase A - but phase two is absolutely going to begin. The second phase includes the release of 19 Israeli soldiers.
"Phase B includes Israeli soldiers, US citizen Edan Alexander, and also the return of bodies – so that families can be reunited with their loved ones. Phase two contemplates an end to the war, but it also contemplates Hamas not being involved in the government and being gone from Gaza. So, we’ve got to square those two things,” Witkoff added.
Last weekend, the Prime Minister's Spokesperson Omer Dostri denied claims made by MK Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that talks were underway for the second stage of the deal with Hamas.
According to Dostri, "Contrary to MK Edelstein's claim, Israel is not negotiating a second stage of the deal at this time.”
He made this announcement following a meeting MK Edelstein held with the hostage families, in which he noted that "after the entire nerve-wracking situation in recent days, I will say that there are growing chances that the release will be implemented. We very much hope and pray, and are also doing everything we can."
Edelstein added, "I will not go into details, but I don’t only function in front of the cameras, and this includes yesterday. I did not find interlocutors at the political and professional levels who said to me, 'Forget it, there are more important things,' I did not find anyone like that."