Israel and Hamas are behind schedule on the progression of their ceasefire deal as the release of hostages and return of remains continues through a tense, fragile peace.
Hamas is preparing to return the bodies of four dead hostages to Israeli authorities on Thursday, followed by “six living hostages” on Saturday, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
Kfir and Ariel Bibas, one-year-old and four years old, respectively, are the youngest Israelis taken hostage following the Oct. 7 attacks and are expected among the deceased returnees.
Israel has returned close to 2,000 Palestinian captives in exchange for the hostages as part of Phase I of the fragile ceasefire deal struck earlier this year with U.S. help.
Phase II of the three-phase ceasefire deal was supposed to commence on Feb. 3, but a sluggish hostage exchange process has kept Gaza in a state of limbo as both governments passively affirm their intentions to complete the deal.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that negotiations will begin this week, clarifying that his country will push for a complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
“We will not accept the continued presence of Hamas or any other terrorist organization in Gaza,” Sa’ar told foreign press in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the Israeli Security Cabinet on Monday to discuss paths forward, but no decisions were made. The Cabinet will need to approve any agreements for the implementation of Phase II.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
President Donald Trump‘s plan for the U.S. to take “long-term” control of the Gaza Strip further complicates negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Under Trump’s plan, large swaths of Palestinians would be removed from the region and resettled in neighboring Arab states as U.S. contractors work to rebuild infrastructure and turn the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The president has alluded to the idea that Palestinians removed from the region would not have a “right to return.”
Arab states invested in fostering Palestinian sovereignty are reportedly working to craft an alternative proposal for the future of the strip, a campaign that Netanyahu has said will be worth hearing out.