Netanyahu Under Pressure To Extend Gaza Ceasefire As Hamas Releases Emaciated Hostages
HuffPost
The fragile ceasefire's first phase is set to end in three weeks, but Israel and Hamas appear to have made little progress.
MUGHRAQA, Gaza Strip (AP) — New details and growing shock over emaciated hostages renewed pressure Sunday on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend a fragile Gaza ceasefire beyond the first phase ending in three weeks.
Talks on the second phase, meant to see more hostages released and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, were due to start Feb. 3. But Israel and Hamas appear to have made little progress, even as Israeli forces withdrew Sunday from a Gaza corridor in the latest commitment to the truce.
Netanyahu sent a delegation to Qatar, a key mediator, but it included low-level officials, sparking speculation that it won’t lead to a breakthrough. Netanyahu, who returned after a U.S. visit to meet with President Donald Trump, is expected to convene security Cabinet ministers on Tuesday.
Trump weighs in on Gaza again
Trump himself suggested he was losing patience with the deal after seeing the emaciated hostages released this week.
