Israel and Hamas have indicated their willingness to move forward with the next stage of ceasefire negotiations as mediators work to extend the 42-day truce that began in January.
A Hamas spokesperson stated on Saturday that there were “positive indicators” for the start of the second-phase talks, though no further details were provided.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had accepted an invitation from mediators backed by the US and would send a delegation to Doha on Monday to advance negotiations.
Hamas representatives are currently in Cairo holding discussions with Egyptian mediators, who, along with Qatari officials, have been facilitating the ceasefire talks. The negotiations aim to build upon the existing agreement and potentially work toward a long-term resolution to the conflict.
Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua reiterated the group’s readiness to engage in discussions that align with its demands and called for increased efforts to provide aid to Gaza and lift the blockade.
The move comes after an invitation from international mediators, including the United States. The negotiations are part of a three-phase agreement, with the first phase already completed.
In parallel, Israel’s state television reported that the United States had proposed a plan to extend the current ceasefire for another two months, in exchange for the release of 10 live prisoners held by Hamas.
However, Israel has agreed to the extension proposal, while Hamas has rejected it, accusing Israel of trying to evade the continuation of the original agreement.
The ceasefire agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, went into effect on January 19.
The deal allowed for the release of 38 captives held by Hamas, including 30 living individuals, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
While the first phase of the agreement saw significant movement, including the opening of the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from various areas, the second phase has yet to commence.
Israel has not allowed the second-phase negotiations to begin, and on March 1, the first phase officially expired. Since then, Israel has suspended the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, leading to heightened tensions.
Hamas, which still holds 59 Israeli captives, has said it is ready to proceed with the second phase of the agreement.
The group demands the release of all prisoners, including those held in Israel, in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, thus enabling reconstruction efforts in the region.
OIC adopts Arab alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan
Meanwhile, international support grew on Saturday for an Arab counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents, with Islamic nations endorsing it and European governments giving their backing.
Unlike the Trump plan, the Arab proposal aims to rebuild Gaza without displacing the territory’s 2.4 million inhabitants, who endured more than 15 months of devastating conflict before a fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19.
The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation formally adopted the counterproposal at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League ratified it at a summit in Cairo.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy gave their backing in a joint statement by their foreign ministers, hailing it as a “realistic path” for rebuilding war-torn Gaza without uprooting its Palestinian inhabitants.
The OIC “adopts the plan… on the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza”, the Islamic bloc said in a statement.
It urged “the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support”.
Trump triggered global outrage when he suggested the US “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt or Jordan.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty welcomed the OIC endorsement and said he now hoped to gain support from the wider international community, including the US.
The four European governments welcomed the plan’s proposal for Gaza to return to the control of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.
“We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more,” they said in their statement.
“We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan,” they added.
However, the Egyptian proposal has already been cold-shouldered by Israel and the United States.
It “does not meet the expectations” of Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff gave a more positive reaction, however, calling the plan a “good-faith first step from the Egyptians”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed upon the Muslim Ummah to make it unequivocally clear that any attempt to forcibly relocate the Palestinian people, whether from Gaza or the West Bank, was ethnic cleansing and a war crime under international law.
“The OIC must categorically reject any proposal that seeks to eject the Palestinians from their own homeland. No external force has the right to dictate their future to the Palestinians. They must determine their own future, through an exercise of self-determination. The OIC must stand united against any sinister agenda aimed at altering the demography of the occupied Palestinian territories,” the DPM/FM said in a statement at the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The DPM/FM, in his statement, presented Pakistan’s urgent recommendations including a full and immediate implementation of the three phases of the ceasefire agreement which included a permanent cessation of hostilities, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access, and a comprehensive reconstruction plan.
Pakistan fully supported call for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2735 (2024), he added
He said Israeli aggression in the West Bank must end. The destruction of refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur al-Shams, and El Far’a mirrored the devastation in Gaza.
Forced displacements, illegal land annexations and settler violence must be reversed in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2720 (2024) and 2334 (2016). The legal and historical status of Al-Haram Al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa Mosque must be upheld, he emphasized.
The Palestinians, Dar said, must receive expanded and unhindered humanitarian assistance. UNRWA must be allowed to operate without obstruction. Israel had a legal duty under Article 2 (5) of the UN Charter to facilitate its work.
The UN General Assembly’s Resolution A/RES/79/232 (2024) reinforced this obligation and condemned all attempts to hinder humanitarian aid, he said, adding the deliberate targeting of aid agencies was a moral outrage and a violation of international law. Humanitarian relief must never be weaponized.
He said the forced displacement of Palestinians must be recognized as a red line.
“The OIC must collectively oppose and block any attempt to relocate Palestinians from their homeland, whether through direct coercion or under the guise of humanitarian relief and reconstruction. Any such move constitutes ethnic cleansing and a grave violation of international law,” he added.
The DPM/FM further said that they must ensure the revival of a credible and irreversible political process toward a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“This is the only viable path to durable peace. The OIC must mobilize its collective influence to press for the recognition of the state of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations,” Foreign Office Spokesperson, in a press release, quoted him as saying.
The upcoming June Conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, the DPM/FM Dar said would be an important opportunity for the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian Question and the implementation of the two-state solution.
The OIC must take decisive diplomatic and economic measures to hold Israel accountable for its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. This should include trade restrictions, sustained diplomatic pressure, and legal action at the International Court of Justice, he suggested.
The DPM/FM said Pakistan welcomed the Gaza Reconstruction Plan prepared by the Arab Republic of Egypt and they believed the plan offered a balanced, practical, and efficient approach to rebuilding Gaza.
“The fact that the Palestinians have been taken on board in finalizing the Plan and are envisaged to hold key roles in shaping their future imparts further credence to the Plan. It also manifests the pan-Islamic spirit of solidarity and unanimity on the issue of Palestine,” he added.
The DPM/FM regretted that the international humanitarian law (IHL) remained under brazen assault in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) which must stop. Israel must be held accountable for its serious violations and grave breaches, for its willful and wanton disregard of IHL.
“The UNGA last year mandated the convening of a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. We regret that contrary to our expectations, the Conference of High Contracting Parties could not take place in Geneva and deliver on its mandate,” he added.
The deputy prime minister/foreign minister said that Gaza endured one of the darkest chapters in its history. More than 48,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children, had been killed mercilessly. The entire fabric of Gaza’s society had been torn apart, with more than 90% of its infrastructure -including homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and places of worship – reduced to rubble.
“This is not just destruction; it is an assault on an entire peoples’ existence. The scale of suffering is beyond condemnation; it demands immediate, decisive and united action from the Muslim world,” he added.
He also welcomed the ceasefire facilitated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States which offered a glimmer of hope and cautioned that the situation remained precarious and fragile as the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the agreement underscored the urgency for a permanent and just peace.
The DPM/FM further strongly condemned halting of the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza during the holy month of Ramazan.
“Blocking aid is a war crime; further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza where the vast majority of the people rely on aid for their sheer survival. The fate of Palestine and the entire region is hanging by a thread. We need to scramble as a collective force to save Palestine,” he added.
