Hamas said it was discussing the IDF's withdrawal from the enclave territory
The next phase of peace talks on the Gaza Strip will begin in two weeks. They will include the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from the enclave, a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages. The Palestinian Hamas movement said on Thursday, January 23.
"Negotiations on the second phase [of the agreement] will begin in two weeks, during which three main points will be discussed: a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire in the enclave, and the exchange of all hostages for Palestinian prisoners," the movement's Telegram channel quoted the head of the Hamas cell in the West Bank, Zaher Jabarin, as saying.
He added that Hamas insists that all stages of the Gaza agreement must necessarily be linked.
Earlier, on January 19, a ceasefire began to take effect in the Gaza Strip. At that time, the Palestinian Hamas movement handed over three Israeli hostages - Romy Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher - to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The next day, Israel released the first 90 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas subjected Israeli territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Israel began retaliatory strikes the same day.
The Palestinians intend to return the borders between the two countries that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War, with possible land swaps. Palestine wants to establish its state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and make East Jerusalem its capital. Israel refuses these conditions.
