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SvennoJ 21 hours ago
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Netanyahu dragging phase one of deal for ‘political interest’: Israeli politician

Benny Gantz, Israeli opposition politician and former member of the country’s war cabinet, says Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu wants to drag out phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal for “political interest”.

The National Unity party leader wrote on X that it is in Israel’s interest to return the captives as “quickly as possible” and not in “drips”. “Time is working in favour of Hamas, which is arming itself and rehabilitating itself militarily and politically,” Gantz claimed.

He called on Netanyahu to “stop wasting time” and allow the deal to bring the captives home so Israel can “deal with Hamas without our hands tied”.


Top Dutch diplomat calls for agreement on second phase of Gaza ceasefire

Caspar Veldkamp, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, has welcomed last night’s exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives’ bodies as part of the Gaza ceasefire.

He expressed solidarity with Israel and the families of captives whose bodies have been returned in the past week, also condemning Hamas for “a cruel handover ceremony” and “grave injustices”.

“Everything must now be done to ensure that the ceasefire holds and an agreement on the second phase is soon reached,” Veldkamp wrote in a post on X.


Israeli delegation going to Cairo to check for ‘common ground to negotiate’: Saar

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says Israel wants “to extend the framework [of phase one] in return for the release of more hostages” from Gaza.

“If it is possible, we’ll do that. It will be better to speak at length about it after the return of the delegation from Cairo,” he said at a news conference in Jerusalem, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.

Israel, Hamas looking forward as phase one of deal comes to an end

The humanitarian protocol of phase one of the ceasefire has not been implemented. Israel hasn’t allowed enough humanitarian assistance in the form of tents, mobile homes, and the like.

But now everybody’s looking forward, and the Israeli prime minister has finally announced that he would be allowing a delegation to go to Cairo.

Although we heard a little bit more about where the mindset of the Israeli government from the Foreign Minister Gideon Saar who basically said Israel is looking to see what the possibilities are of extending phase one rather than going to the next phase of the ceasefire, which would require Israel to declare an end to the war and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Already, the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor was scheduled for this phase, but it doesn’t seem like Israel has made a decision to comply with that obligation.