Netanyahu to Begin Talks on Second Phase of Gaza Truce

Netanyahu spoke with the US president's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday and agreed that negotiations would "begin when they meet in Washington".

A date for formal talks involving mediators and delegations from Hamas and Israel has not been set, with the 42-day first phase ending next month, Japan Times reported.

Netanyahu's office said Witkoff would talk to Qatar and Egypt, key mediators, before discussing with the Israeli premier "steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for delegations to leave for talks."

The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war, something several members of Netanyahu's government oppose.

As part of the first phase, Hamas on Saturday freed three Israeli prisoners in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody.

The Israeli military later confirmed that all three were back in Israel.

Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have so far handed over 18 prisoners to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Israelis among them in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them women and children.

A total of 183 prisoners were freed Saturday, all of them Palestinian except for one Egyptian.

Hamas sources said a fifth prisoner exchange would take place next Saturday.

The ceasefire's six-week first phase hinges on the release of a total of 33 prisoners in exchange for around 1,900 people, mostly Palestinians, held in Israeli jails.