US envoys urge Netanyahu to move into Gaza ceasefire’s second phase

Top US envoys met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, urging his government to move into the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, according to the prime minister’s office, which did not give details of the discussions.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the talks, told reporters the envoys had been working closely with Mr Netanyahu on recovering the remains of the last hostage in Gaza, and on the next steps for demilitarising the territory.

The US is anxious to keep the Trump-brokered deal moving, but Mr Netanyahu faces pressure to wait until Hamas returns the remains of the last hostage in Gaza.

The biggest signal of the second phase would be the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Ali Shaath, the head of a future technocratic government in Gaza that is expected to run day-to-day affairs, said on Thursday the border crossing will open in both directions this coming week.

There was no confirmation from Israel, which said it would consider the matter this week. The crossing’s Gaza side is currently under Israeli military control.

The family of Ran Gvili, whose body is still in Gaza, urged more pressure on Hamas.

“President Trump himself stated this week in Davos that Hamas knows exactly where our son is being held,” the family said Saturday. “Hamas is deceiving the international community and refusing to return our son, the last remaining hostage, in what constitutes a clear violation of the agreement it signed.”

Hamas said Wednesday it has provided “all information” it has on Mr Gvili’s remains to ceasefire mediators, and accused Israel of obstructing search efforts in areas it controls in Gaza. The ceasefire took effect on October 10.

Egypt’s top diplomat pressed for an immediate opening of the Rafah crossing with the director of Mr Trump’s new “Board of Peace” in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, including the ability of Palestinians to enter and exit the territory.

Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty spoke by phone with Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, the ministry said in a statement.

They discussed the implementation of the ceasefire’s second phase, including the deployment of an international monitoring force, the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, the statement said.

The Egyptian minister said implementing the second phase is a “key entry point” to launch Gaza’s reconstruction. The statement did not say when the crossing will open for travellers and the evacuation of sick and wounded.

Israel is expected to discuss opening the Rafah crossing during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.

Also on Saturday, an Israeli strike killed two Palestinian teenagers in Gaza, according to hospital authorities. The boys, cousins aged 13 and 15, were searching for firewood, according to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which received the bodies.

The boys were killed in the area that Israel’s military has said is safe for Palestinians, about 500 metres from the Yellow Line, which separates the Israeli-controlled areas in eastern Gaza from the rest of the strip, said a relative, Arafat al-Zawara.

“They were targeted directly, not through any fault of their own,” he told The Associated Press outside the morgue.

Israel’s military said it had targeted several militants who crossed the Yellow Line and planted explosives, threatening troops. It denied that those killed were children.

The desperate search for firewood is forcing many Palestinians to approach areas close to the Yellow Line as they seek anything that can be burned, including rubbish and plastic, to cook and to warm themselves.

There has been no central electricity in Gaza since the first few days of the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 2023, and fuel for generators is scarce.

Hundreds of thousands of people are living in tent camps and war-damaged buildings in Gaza as temperatures drop at night and storms blow in from the Mediterranean. At least nine children have died of severe cold in the past weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Since the ceasefire, more than 480 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to the ministry.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.