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Plenty of sticking points remain before second phase of Gaza deal
Before we can even get to phase two of the ceasefire deal, the Israelis say the biggest sticking point for now is the return of the 15 bodies of captives that remain in Gaza.
Hamas says it needs assistance on the ground to fulfil this. It needs heavy machinery and specialised teams to clear the debris and unexploded ordnance so it can exhume some of these remains.
Down the line, the challenges include the disarmament of Hamas and the question of what’s going to happen to Hamas fighters in Gaza. Where will they be exiled to? What kind of amnesty might they be looking at in the future? And who is this body of Palestinian technocrats that is going to come in and take over governance of Gaza?
Israel has ruled out the Palestinian Authority; the Americans say they want reforms with the PA before it can be involved, and Israel says it wants some sort of security control over Gaza.
PM Netanyahu meets Egyptian intelligence chief in Israel
Israel’s prime minister has met the head of Egypt’s intelligence agency, Major-General Hassan Rashad, in West Jerusalem to discuss advancing the US-backed framework for Gaza.
Also discussed were Israel-Egypt relations and “strengthening the peace” between the countries as well as other regional issues, Egypt’s state-affiliated media reported.
Rashad travelled to Israel to meet key figures including US envoy Steve Witkoff as Israel’s army continues to violate the ceasefire with Hamas with mass killings and an aid blockade.
He will discuss getting aid into Gaza along with other obstacles facing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
No Palestinian in Gaza ‘optimistic’ as ceasefire remains shaky
Amid the ongoing visit by the US vice president to Israel, many in Gaza remain wary of political efforts to help sustain the ceasefire.
“I don’t care about the US or politics entirely,” Adham al-Sayed told Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud in Gaza. “I’m concerned with how to lay food on the table and lead a normal stable life, in peace. That’s all what concerns me.”
Another resident, Zuhdi Abu Sharia, said nobody in the coastal enclave was “optimistic” these days.
“Every day is a rollercoaster. In the morning, we hear some news, in the evening we hear the opposite,” he said. “We wake up to hope and joy, yet sleep to sorrow and despair.”
