Mediators Attempt To Create Second Phase Of Ceasefire In Gaza Strip

JAKARTA - Qatar's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said mediators were trying to step into the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Egyptian, Qatar, Turkish and US mediators managed to bridge the first phase of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel on October 9 and took effect a day later.

"Mediation efforts are ongoing to ensure the current ceasefire does not collapse amid a violation of the (Israel) agreement that has raised concerns", said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, at a press conference in Doha, cited from Anadolu (3/12).

"Every violation of the ceasefire in Gaza is a threat to the deal and weakens its impact," he warned.

"The ceasefire has been put in place and we are building it, and we are trying to make it a path to the second phase of the agreement," he said.

Israel attributes the start of negotiations to launch the second phase of the ceasefire agreement with the receipt of the bodies of all its prisoners.

Israel claims the bodies of two hostages are still in Gaza, while Hamas says it has handed over all 20 surviving Israeli prisoners and the bodies of 28 dead prisoners.

Meanwhile, there were 9,500 Palestinians who were missing and killed in the hands of Israeli soldiers, while their bodies were still buried in the rubble, according to the Gaza Media Office.

The ceasefire deal came into effect in Gaza on October 10 under US President Donald Trump's plans for Gaza, halting Israeli attacks over two years that have killed more than 70,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 others since October 2023.

Israel has repeatedly violated the treaty by firing Palestinian civilians in territory it does not control under the treaty, while Hamas has announced its full commitment to the terms of the agreement and urged the US to pressure Israel to comply.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 357 Palestinians have been killed and more than 900 others have been injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire.