Last weekend, the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza ended, with uncertainty surrounding the transition to its second phase. The negotiations were expected to resume over the weekend — but that didn’t happen.

Hamas has rejected what it claims was an Israeli proposal to extend the initial ceasefire phase, insisting that negotiations for the next stage must begin. 

Israel, meanwhile, maintains that any extension is contingent on Hamas releasing more hostages, with no deal reached before the first phase expired. 

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, told reporters, “We are ready to continue to phase two. But in order to extend the time or the framework, we need an agreement to release more hostages that Hamas is holding.” 

Israel prefers extending the first ceasefire phase to secure more hostage releases. Netanyahu claims Hamas is currently holding 59 captives: 24 alive and 35 dead. 

Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of blocking negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.  

“Hamas is ready for talks, but Netanyahu is destroying any effort to move forward,” said Hamdan in a televised speech on Monday. 

Hamdan urged the international community and the UN to pressure Israel to return to talks, calling for a permanent ceasefire, troop withdrawal, humanitarian aid access, and Gaza’s reconstruction. 

He also emphasised the need to implement UN Resolution 2735, advocating for Palestinian self-determination, an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of refugees to return. 

Hamas called on mediators on Monday to intervene to prevent the collapse of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement and start negotiations for the second phase of the deal. 

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US have been involved in discussions. 

Arab leaders met in Cairo on Tuesday and proposed a plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. A “Governance Assistance Mission” would oversee humanitarian aid and reconstruction, offering an alternative to the US plan for Palestinian displacement, which Egypt and Jordan reject. 

The ceasefire, a deal between Israel and Hamas, began on January 19, and brought a pause after 15 months of fighting. It halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,380 Palestinians, mostly women and children. 

The ceasefire also allowed aid to enter Gaza and enabled displaced residents to return home.  

During the six-week ceasefire, Hamas released 25 hostages and returned eight bodies in exchange for close to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas has also released five Thai nationals. The second phase is intended to free more hostages and lay the groundwork for lasting peace.

Other than stalling talks, Israel has halted all humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

“Israel has decided to stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza, something we've done for the past 42 days. We've done that because Hamas steals the supplies and prevents the people of Gaza from getting them,” Netanyahu posted on X. 

Aid groups report looting of Gaza aid trucks, though Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2007, denies diverting aid for its members.

What we know so far

Yet, just as the truce expired, Israel announced an aid embargo, with reports emerging of a so-called “hell plan”.

The measures of the programme could cut off electricity, water, and push Palestinians who returned to northern Gaza back south, paving the way for a renewed offensive and a potential resumption of full-scale war.

Netanyahu posted on X that Israel had accepted a US-brokered plan to extend the ceasefire for 50 days, contingent on Hamas releasing half of its remaining hostages.

The Israeli PM thanked US president Donald Trump for his support and added that they had accepted a plan presented by the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

“Israel has accepted President Trump’s envoy SteveWitkoff's plan to extend the temporary ceasefire by 50 days, during that time we can discuss the conditions for a permanent ceasefire that will end the war in Gaza,” he posted.

“In Witkoff’s plan, half of the hostages would be released right away and the remaining half would be released if we reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire,” he added.

He went on to say that he had accepted this plan but Hamas had not.

“I accepted this plan. But so far, Hamas has rejected it. Hamas had also put forward positions for a permanent ceasefire that are totally unacceptable,” he said.

The White House has not confirmed the details. 

So far, Israel has made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners — a key component of the first phase. 

Palestinian political analyst and activist Nour Odeh condemned the Israeli blockade. 

“Israel is now killing the agreement altogether and positioning itself to blame Hamas for rejecting an Israeli/US ‘offer’ that a fifth grader would know was designed to be rejected,” she posted on X. 

“Denying food and other humanitarian aid is a crime. Period. Yet the White House is now throwing its weight behind this weaponization of food and aid. It’s a new horrifying chapter in human history that undoes all the lessons humans claimed to have learned in past decades,” she added.” 

What comes next? 

Israel reportedly proposed extending the ceasefire for 42 days, covering Ramadan (until March end) and Passover (in April), in exchange for more hostage releases. 

Hamas rejected this offer, arguing that it contradicts the original terms of the truce.

Additionally, disagreements persist over Gaza’s future governance. 

Israel insists that Hamas cannot remain in power, while Hamas has expressed willingness to transfer control to a national consensus government or a technocratic body. 

Meanwhile, tensions are escalating: an Israeli strike killed two people in Rafah, while Hamas has reportedly appointed new commanders and begun repurposing unexploded bombs as IEDs, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Despite mounting international pressure to keep the ceasefire in place, both sides appear to be preparing for a fresh wave of conflict. 

Israeli defence officials told the New York Times that extensive preparations have been made for a new and intense campaign. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also bypassed Congress by using “emergency authorities” to send $4 billion in new weapons to Israel. 

For now, the ceasefire hangs by a thread — and the people of Gaza remain caught in the crossfire.