Netanyahu announced the proximity of the second phase of the plan to end the war in Gaza
Kyiv • UNN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the proximity of the second phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza, but key issues have yet to be resolved. Hamas is ready to consider freezing or storing weapons, and the search for a deceased Israeli hostage has been resumed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the second phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza is close, but key issues still need to be resolved, UNN reports.
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Under the second phase of President Donald Trump's plan, Israel is to withdraw its troops further from Gaza after a transitional authority is formed and international security forces are deployed. Hamas is to disarm and begin reconstruction.
Due to unresolved issues regarding Hamas's disarmament, one senior official stated that the group is willing to consider "freezing or storing" its remaining weapons.
The US and other mediators are pressuring both sides, seeking to move to the next stages of Trump's plan.
According to Arab media reports, the Red Cross group and members of Hamas's armed wing are resuming the search for the last deceased Israeli hostage, police sergeant Ran Gvili, in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City.
Gvili was killed in attacks organized by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and his body is to be returned under the terms of the initial ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. "We will retrieve him," Netanyahu said at a press conference on Sunday.
Two months after the Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect, both sides continue to accuse each other of daily violations. Israeli forces still control more than half of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has largely re-established its presence in the rest of the territory.
In a conversation with journalists, Netanyahu stated that he would hold important talks with President Trump at the end of the month on how to ensure the implementation of the second phase of the plan. An Israeli government spokeswoman announced on Monday that the meeting would take place on December 29.
After meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated that Hamas's rule in Gaza must end, and that the armed group must fulfill "its obligation" to lay down its arms and achieve demilitarization of the sector.
Later, speaking to Israeli ambassadors and diplomats, he expressed skepticism about whether the planned multinational forces would be able to disarm Hamas.
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"The question arises: our friends in America want to try to create an international force that will carry out this task. I said - please. Are there volunteers here? On the contrary, please," Netanyahu said, apparently doubting the willingness of foreign troops to disarm Hamas by force.
He further reiterated that Israel would ensure disarmament, saying: "It can be done the easy way, it can be done the hard way. But eventually it will be done." In an interview with The Associated Press, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said his group was open to talks about "freezing or storing" its arsenal of weapons as a possible approach to resolving one of the most difficult problems.
"We are open to a comprehensive approach to avoid further escalation, clashes or explosions," Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said in an interview in Qatar, where much of the group's leadership is based.
Hamas had previously refused to surrender its weapons without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
He also stated that Israel had not fulfilled key ceasefire obligations, claiming that Gaza had not been flooded with humanitarian aid and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt had not been reopened.
Humanitarian organizations report a sharp increase in supplies to the sector, but they continue to face restrictions from Israel in their work and a lack of security. Last week, Israel stated its readiness to reopen Rafah — Gaza's main gateway to the world — but only for people to leave. Egypt and the Palestinians disagreed, insisting that Israel was obliged to open the crossing in both directions.
The ceasefire agreement halted a devastating two-year Israeli offensive in Gaza, triggered by deadly Hamas attacks and mass hostage-taking in southern Israel.
The first phase of the peace plan included the return of 20 living hostages and the remains of 28 deceased hostages remaining in Gaza. In exchange for the release of living hostages, Israel handed over nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. For each Israeli hostage handed over, Israel returns the bodies of 15 Palestinians.