Netanyahu Says Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations to Start Monday

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin will begin negotiations on a second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington, Netanyahu's office said late on Saturday, reported.

Netanyahu is scheduled to leave Israel on Sunday for Washington, where he will meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The two will discuss Gaza and the Israeli hostages held there.

During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel's position on the ceasefire, the prime minister's office said.

Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for the past 15 months with Washington's backing.

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

Hamas has so far released 18 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails and detention. There are more than 70 hostages still being held in Gaza.

's visit will be his first international visit since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in November 2024.

The arrest warrant was on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza. During the 15-month genocide in Gaza, at least 47,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed. In fact, the leading medical journal The Lancet, reported that the death toll in Gaza until June 2024 reached more than 70,000 people.

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