Netanyahu made the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal more symbolic while Hamas accepted the move.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the US announcement that the fragile cease-fire in Gaza will move into its second phase as a major signal, raising questions about how the most challenging task will be carried out.
Speaking late Wednesday to the parents of the last Israeli hostage whose remains are still in Gaza, Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority’s declaration as part of the second phase was merely a “declarative step,” rather than a sign of progress described by US Ambassador Steve Witkoff.
The parents of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili previously pressured Netanyahu not to proceed with their son’s arrest until their son’s body is returned, the Israel Hostage and Missing Families Forum said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu told Gvili’s parents that his return is still a priority.
The announcement of the second phase of the ceasefire marked an important step forward but left many questions unanswered.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a social media post on Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement is entering a phase focused on destroying Gaza, establishing a technical government and reconstruction. However, Witkoff did not provide details about the new Palestinian interim administration that will govern Gaza.
These include the formation of a proposed, governing committee of Palestinian experts and an international “Peace Board”.
The formation of this committee was coordinated with the Israelis, said an Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity.
The questions include the timing of the deployment of international troops and the reopening of the Gaza border crossing south of Rafah, as well as concrete details about the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Challenges are coming
The second phase of the ceasefire will deal with more difficult issues than the first, including disarming Hamas and transitioning to a new governance structure after nearly two decades of the group’s rule in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has said it will dissolve its current government to make way for a committee announced as part of the second phase of the ceasefire. But it has not yet made clear what will happen to its military arm or the dozens of Hamas-affiliated civil servants and paramilitary police.
Bassem Naim, a member of the organization’s political office, said on Thursday that Hamas accepts the committee’s announcement as a step towards establishing an independent Palestinian state, but did not elaborate on the issues in question.
He said in X “the ball is now in the court” of the United States and international arbitrators to allow it to work.
Israel has insisted that Hamas must lay down its arms, while the group’s leaders have rejected calls for surrender despite two years of war, saying Palestinians “have the right to resist.”
Progress is being announced but violence continues
Palestinians in Gaza who spoke to the Associated Press questioned whether entering phase 2 would actually change the bottom line, pointing to continued bloodshed and challenges to access basic needs.
More than 450 people have been killed since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday.
Those injured, UNICEF said included more than 100 children, are among the 71,441 Palestinians killed since the Israeli offensive began, according to the ministry, which did not say how many were soldiers or civilians.
“We see on the ground that the war has not stopped, the bloodshed has not stopped and our suffering in the tents has not ended. Every day there is torture in the tents, rain and sun, from the sun to the rain until death,” said Samed Abu Rawagh, a man who was expelled from southern Gaza from Jabaliya.
Hamza Abu Shahab, a man from east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said he was waiting for tangible changes, such as easier access to food, fuel and health care, instead of promises.
“We are happy with these news, but we ask God that they are not empty words,” Khan Younis told the Associated Press. “We need these stories to be true, because in the second phase we will be able to return to our homes and places … if God wills, it will not be just empty promises.”
Gaza’s population of around two million have struggled to fend off cold weather and storms while facing a shortage of humanitarian aid and a lack of temporary housing, much needed during the winter months.
This is the third winter since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when the army raided southern Israel killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 others, according to Israeli figures.
