Hamas has expressed readiness to start negotiations for a second phase of a Gaza truce, two officials of the Palestinian group told AFP on Monday.

Hamas ready for “second phase” of Gaza ceasefire talks

One of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks:

“Hamas informed the mediators during the ongoing talks and meetings with Egyptian mediators held last week in Cairo that we are ready to start negotiations on the second phase.” 

He called on the mediators to “ensure that the occupation sticks to the agreement and does not stall.” A second Hamas official added that the group was “waiting for the mediators to start the next round” of discussions.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli occupation, the first phase of which went into effect on January 19, direct talks on the next phase were due to begin on Monday.

The first 42-day phase includes the release of 33 Israeli captives in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The second phase is expected to focus on releasing the remaining captives and discussing a longer-term solution to the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he will begin discussions on Monday about the second phase with US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Netanyahu, who is now in Washington, is scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday.

Aid flows into Gaza amid ceasefire

Israel returned an aid shipment to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, saying it did not meet technical requirements.

Despite an existing truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that allows for the exchange of detainees and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the measure was taken.

With recent developments suggesting that the fragile truce could be broken, the decision to return the cargo raises fears of rising tensions. Earlier, according to Reuters, a car on the coastal highway west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza was the target of an Israeli explosion that injured four Palestinians. Medical personnel initially said one teenager had died, but they later confirmed they had successfully revived him.

The Israeli military later said in a statement that its planes had shot down a “suspicious vehicle” heading north from the centre of Gaza. According to the statement, the vehicle had violated security rules by failing to pass through an approved checkpoint. The army reiterated its warning to Gazans to follow military orders and stay away from Israeli soldiers stationed there.