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US envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Doha for Gaza ceasefire talks

The report comes after a Hamas delegation in Cairo reaffirmed its commitment to seeing the implementation of a second phase to the ceasefire agreement.
3 min read
09 March, 2025
Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East Envoy, is set to head to the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday [Getty]

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Qatar's capital Doha to secure a new agreement between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, according to reports,Ìýas Israel continues to refuse progress on the second phase of the agreed ceasefire deal.

Witkoff, who helped broker the initial Gaza ceasefire that went into effect on 15 January, will be joining Qatari, Egyptian and Israeli negotiators who will begin the new talks on Monday, according to Axios citing US officials.

The deal that the Trump administration is pushing for would see the release of remaining Israeli captives and extend the ceasefire until 20 April.

An Israeli official told Axios that Witkoff had wanted to gather all the participants to the negotiations for several days of intense talks.

Some 59 Israeli captives continue to be held captive with Hamas in Gaza, of which 35 are believed by the Israeli military to be dead.

The renewed diplomatic push follows mounting frustration after Israel refused to move forward with the second phase of the agreed ceasefire deal — a key condition of the initial truce. The second phase includes negotiations on a permanent ceasefire, as well as lifting Israel's blockade on Gaza to allow aid deliveries to resume.

Despite international calls to honour the ceasefire conditions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to engage in negotiations over this next phase. Aid agencies and humanitarian groups have condemned Israel’s actions, warning that the reimposed blockade is worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

On Saturday, Hamas representatives met with Egyptian officials to press for the agreed second phase to proceed, accusing Israel of stalling and deliberately prolonging suffering in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said its delegation had emphasised the need for Israel to adhere to all terms of the agreement, including the immediate reopening of border crossings and allowing unrestricted aid into Gaza.

"The delegation emphasised the necessity of adhering to all terms of the agreement proceeding immediately to initiate negotiations for the second phase", the group said in a statement, adding that it also sought the opening of border crossings and the entry of aid into the enclave.

Israel reimposed a blockade on Gaza on 1 Saturday following the official end of the first phase of the ceasefire, a move widely condemned by aid agencies and the international community for resuming a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

The group's spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoua earlier said that "indicators are positive regarding the start of negotiations for the second phase", although an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the government was unaware of such progress on a second phase.

Likewise, Hamas also announced that it would be prepared to give up its civilian administration of Gaza so a community support committee consisting of independent Palestinian figures.

Such a committee, which would be under Palestinian Authority oversight for six months until new elections are held, would be part of Egypt's proposal for the $53 billion post-war reconstruction of Gaza.

The US has rejected such plans, which run counter to its own displacement plan for Gaza, although they have gained support from the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

Meanwhile, in Israel, a statement from the office of Netanyahu read that "Israel agreed to the invitation of the mediators backed by the US, and will send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an attempt to make progress in the negotiations."

This delegation will include Gal Hirsch, who coordinates the negotiations for the government, and Shin Bet official "M.", according to The Times of Israel citing Israeli sources, which added that M. is replacing Ronen Bar following his removal from the negotiating team.

Anti-government and pro-captive agreement protests have erupted in Israel following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza over fears that the war will restart and that a renewed Israeli invasion of the enclave will endanger the lives of Israeli captives.

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