Israel, Hamas diverge on ceasefire as first phase ends

An Israeli delegation in Cairo is negotiating to extend the first phase of the Gaza Strip ceasefire when it expires on Saturday rather than move to the second phase as originally planned and as Hamas wants, two Egyptian security sources say.

The ceasefire agreement last month halted 15 months of fighting and paved the way for talks on ending the war while also leading to the release of 44 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip and about 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.

However, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the second phase of the deal meant to include releases of additional hostages and prisoners as well as steps toward a permanent end of the war.

There is no sign of agreement over the future of the Gaza Strip's future, an uncertainty that is complicating efforts to negotiate a lasting resolution.

Hamas called on Friday for the international community to press Israel to immediately enter the second phase without delay.

It is unclear what will happen if the first phase ends on Saturday without a deal.

A senior official of the Palestinian Authority, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian, also said on Friday that she would like the ceasefire phases to move ahead as originally planned.

"I doubt anyone in Gaza will want to go back to war," she said in Geneva.

The Cairo talks are being mediated by Egypt and Qatar with US support.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday there were "pretty good talks going on".

Asked whether the ceasefire deal would move into the second phase, Trump said: "Nobody really knows, but we'll see what happens".

The Gaza Strip war is the latest in decades of conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

It began on October 7, 2023, when fighters from the Islamist group Hamas stormed border defences from Gaza and attacked Israeli communities, killing about 1200 people and seizing about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The Israeli military campaign in retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities, while destroying large swathes of the tiny, crowded territory and leaving most of its two million inhabitants homeless.

The ceasefire has mostly held during its first six weeks, although both sides have accused each other of breaches, particularly in the treatment of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, and in the handling of releases.

The United Nations has described images of both emaciated Israeli hostages and released Palestinian detainees as distressing, saying they reflected the dire conditions in which they were held.

Hamas has staged shows of strength during hostage releases, parading them in front of cameras.

Israeli authorities have made released detainees wear clothes bearing pro-Israeli slogans.

Israel is now negotiating to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal by 42 days, according to the Egyptian security sources.

Israeli government officials said earlier this week that Israel would attempt to extend the initial phase with Hamas freeing three hostages a week in return for the release of Palestinian detainees.