War: Negotiations start Monday for next phase of Gaza ceasefire – Israeli PM, Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said he will start negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington.

According to a statement from his office, Netanyahu is scheduled to depart Israel on Sunday for Washington, where he is to meet next week with Trump at the White House to discuss Gaza and the Israeli hostages held there.

Media Talk Africa gathered that during his meeting with Witkoff, the Israeli prime minister will discuss Israel’s positions in respect to the ceasefire.

In the same vein, Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have mediated between Israel and Hamas over the past 15 months with backing from Washington.

Recall that Israel and Hamas last month reached a complex ceasefire agreement, to be implemented in three phases, that has halted the fighting in Gaza.

Media Talk Africa reports that Hamas has so far released at least 18 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians that are held in Israeli prisons and detentions.

Meanwhile, there are more than 70 hostages still held in Gaza.