'Israel to begin negotiations on second phase of Gaza ceasefire deal'

Israel will begin negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, including an exchange of the remaining Israeli hostages with Palestinian detainees, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, adding that Israel demanded a complete demilitarisation of the enclave. 

Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to be under way before the first phase ends on March 2, but Qatar said the talks have not officially started yet. 

A "Hezbollah model" in Gaza would not be acceptable to Israel "and therefore we need a total demilitarisation of Gaza and no presence of the Palestinian Authority", Saar said in a press conference. 

 

He added that Israel was aware of an alternative plan by Arab states for Gaza, made to counter U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to redevelop the strip under U.S. control, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said is worthy of exploration. 

Israel would not support a plan that would see civilian control of Gaza transferred from Hamas to the Palestinian authority, Saar added.