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.
Israel has effectively turned Gaza into the world's largest open-air prison, maintaining an 18-year blockade and forcing nearly 2 million of its 2.3 million residents into displacement amid dire shortages of food, water and medicine due to deliberate restrictions.
The ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, suspending Israel's genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
