Israel and Hamas indicated on Saturday that preparations for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations were underway, as mediators pushed to extend the fragile 42-day truce that began in January.
Hamas announced that there were “positive indicators” for the start of the second-phase talks, although details were not disclosed. Israel also confirmed its readiness for negotiations, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announcing that Israel would send a delegation to Doha on Monday, as invited by U.S.-backed mediators, to advance the talks.
Hamas is currently engaged in ceasefire discussions in Cairo with Egyptian mediators, alongside officials from Qatar. These talks aim to move towards the next stage of the ceasefire deal, which could potentially pave the way for a more lasting end to the war.
“We are ready to engage in second-phase negotiations that meet the needs of our people, and we call for increased efforts to support Gaza and lift the blockade on the suffering population,” said Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua.
In a separate development, Hamas expressed approval of the formation of an administrative committee made up of "national and independent" figures to govern Gaza until elections can be held. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi previously stated that Cairo had cooperated with Palestinian leaders to create such a committee to oversee Gaza's governance post-conflict.
Despite the ongoing diplomacy, tensions remained high, with Israeli airstrikes killing two Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Saturday. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted a drone that crossed into Gaza from Israel, hitting several individuals involved in a suspected smuggling attempt. This strike followed an Israeli drone attack on Friday, which killed two people in northern Gaza.
The ceasefire deal, which began in January, calls for the release of the remaining 59 hostages held by Hamas in the next phase of negotiations, along with final discussions aimed at ending the war. The first phase of the ceasefire concluded last week, but Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza, demanding the release of hostages before further negotiations.
Since the truce began on January 19, Hamas has freed 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli authorities believe that fewer than half of the remaining 59 hostages are still alive.
The ongoing conflict, which erupted after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has claimed more than 48,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza health authorities. The violence has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire population and has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes against Israel, which it denies.
As the ceasefire talks progress, the situation in Gaza remains fragile, with both sides and their respective mediators working to avert further escalation.
A second man has been arrested in connection with a series of arson attacks targeting properties and a vehicle linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Romanians are heading to the polls Sunday in a tense presidential runoff between two very different candidates: hard-right leader George Simion and pro-European Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan.
Since November 2022, Italy has provided Ukraine with nearly 3 billion euros worth of weapons and ammunition, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed.
A phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is being prepared, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Rome on Saturday, calling it a “good meeting” focused on peace efforts and military cooperation.
A second man has been arrested in connection with a series of arson attacks targeting properties and a vehicle linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Romanians are heading to the polls Sunday in a tense presidential runoff between two very different candidates: hard-right leader George Simion and pro-European Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan.
Since November 2022, Italy has provided Ukraine with nearly 3 billion euros worth of weapons and ammunition, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed.
A phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is being prepared, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Rome on Saturday, calling it a “good meeting” focused on peace efforts and military cooperation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
A new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is underway in Qatar's Doha, Hamas official Taher al-Nono told Reuters on Saturday.
The informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will take place on 20–21 May 2025 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
A meeting of the security agencies of the CIS member states took place on May 16th in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
Azerbaijan has dismissed recent remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Azerbaijani Public Television in Albania, accusing him of misleading the international community on territorial claims and the OSCE Minsk Group’s dissolution.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay official visits to Hungary and Slovenia from May 19 to 22, holding talks with top leaders and participating in key bilateral and multilateral events.
A second man has been arrested in connection with a series of arson attacks targeting properties and a vehicle linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Romanians are heading to the polls Sunday in a tense presidential runoff between two very different candidates: hard-right leader George Simion and pro-European Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan.
Since November 2022, Italy has provided Ukraine with nearly 3 billion euros worth of weapons and ammunition, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed.
A phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is being prepared, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Rome on Saturday, calling it a “good meeting” focused on peace efforts and military cooperation.
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