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The head of the United Nations made a fresh appeal for the Gaza ceasefire to be extended, warning against a “catastrophic” return to war as the first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce was to expire on Saturday.Negotiations on the next stage have so far been inconclusive, leaving uncertainty over the fate of hostages still held in Gaza, and the lives of more than two million Palestinians who have been spared deadly bombardment for the past six weeks.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a “permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages are essential to preventing escalation and averting more devastating consequences for civilians.”The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.Over the initial six-week phase, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.A second phase is supposed to secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza and pave the way for a more permanent end to the war.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation to Cairo, and mediator Egypt said on Thursday that “intensive talks” on the second phase had begun with the presence of delegations from Israel as well as fellow mediators Qatar and the United States.But by early Saturday there was no sign of consensus as Muslims in Gaza marked the first day of Ramadan with coloured lights brightening war-damaged neighbourhoods. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group rejected “the extension of the first phase in the formulation proposed by the occupation (Israel)”.He called on mediators “to oblige the occupation to abide by the agreement in its various stages”.Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start immediately but he did not think the ceasefire will collapse.- Hamas hostage video -Hamas’s armed wing released footage showing what appeared to be a group of Israeli hostages in Gaza, accompanied with the message: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive”. AFP was unable to immediately verify the video, the latest that militants have released of Gaza captives. Netanyahu’s office called it “cruel propaganda” but Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the Horn family, two of whose members appear in the video, had given permission for the footage of them to be published.Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn was released on February 15 but his brother Eitan remains in captivity in Gaza.”We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us,” the family said.The hostages forum held a new rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening in a bid to keep the focus on the remaining captives.The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.A Palestinian source close to the talks told AFP that Israel had proposed to extend the first phase in successive one-week intervals with a view to conducting hostage-prisoner swaps each week, adding that Hamas had rejected the plan.- Netanyahu’s coalition worries -Domestic political considerations are a factor in Netanyahu’s reluctance to begin the planned second stage.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the remaining far-right faction in his governing coalition, has threatened to quit if the war is not resumed.”The Israeli government could fall if we enter phase two,” said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence for risk management consultancy Le Beck International.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Hamas, for its part, has pushed hard for phase two to begin as planned.”We affirm our keenness to complete the remaining stages of the ceasefire agreement,” which would require a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the group said in a letter to Arab heads of state due to meet in Cairo on Tuesday. Israel has said it needs to retain troops in a strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border to stop arms smuggling by Hamas. The truce has enabled greater aid flows into the Gaza Strip, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.Hamas’s attack that began the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, while the Israeli retaliation has killed 48,388 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, figures from both sides show.

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is drawing to a close on Saturday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive.The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country’s history.Over the initial six-week phase, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.A second phase of the fragile truce was supposed to secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza and pave the way for a more permanent end to the war.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sent a delegation to Cairo, and mediator Egypt said “intensive talks” on the second phase had begun with the presence of delegations from Israel as well as fellow mediators Qatar and the United States.But by early Saturday, there was no sign of consensus, and Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group rejected “the extension of the first phase in the formulation proposed by the occupation (Israel)”.He called on mediators “to oblige the occupation to abide by the agreement in its various stages”.Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start immediately.”But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.- Netanyahu’s coalition worries -Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum planned a new rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to keep the focus on the remaining captives.Hamas’s armed wing released footage showing what appeared to be a group of Israeli hostages in Gaza, accompanied with the message: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive”. AFP was unable to immediately verify the video. The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.A Palestinian source close to the talks told AFP that Israel had proposed to extend the first phase in successive one-week intervals with a view to conducting hostage-prisoner swaps each week, adding that Hamas had rejected the plan.Domestic political considerations are a factor in Netanyahu’s reluctance to begin the planned second stage.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the remaining far-right faction in his governing coalition, has threatened to quit if the war is not resumed after the end of the first stage.”The Israeli government could fall if we enter phase two,” said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence for risk management consultancy firm Le Beck.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.- Ceasefire ‘must hold’ -Hamas, for its part, has pushed hard for phase two to begin as planned.”We affirm our keenness to complete the remaining stages of the ceasefire agreement,” the group said in a letter to Arab heads of state due to meet in Cairo on Tuesday. “We categorically reject… the presence of any foreign forces on the territory of the Gaza Strip,” it added.Israel has said it needs to retain troops in a strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border to stop arms smuggling by Hamas. UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire “must hold”.”The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.The truce has enabled greater aid flows into the Gaza Strip, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The Israeli retaliation has killed 48,388 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.The United States on Friday announced the approval of the sale of more than $3 billion in munitions, bulldozers and related equipment to ally Israel.It comes amid a major military operation launched by Israel in the occupied West Bank on February 21, two days after the Gaza ceasefire began.According to the United Nations, at least 55 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have died in the operation, which has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians.

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas truce is due to expire on Saturday, but negotiations on the next stage, which should secure a permanent ceasefire, have so far been inconclusive.The ceasefire took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country’s history.Over several weeks, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.The second phase of the fragile truce, which was brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt after months of gruelling negotiations, should begin on Sunday, and should secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza.On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold a ministerial meeting with security officials, according to Israeli media, after he sent a delegation to Egypt for discussions on phase two of the truce.On Thursday, Egypt’s State Information Service said: “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings.”It also said Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were in Cairo for the talks.By early Saturday, there was no sign of consensus, or of a presence of a Hamas delegation in the Egyptian capital.Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase cannot be expected to start on Saturday.”But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.Hamas, for its part, has pushed hard for phase two to begin, after it suffered staggering losses in the devastating war.In a statement, it said that it “affirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details”.The group also called for global pressure on Israel “to immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay”. – Ceasefire ‘must hold’ -Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before the initial phase expires.”The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.The truce enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced, and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.- Ramadan begins -In Gaza and throughout the Muslim world, this weekend is also the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Among the rubble of a war-devastated neighbourhood of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, traditional Ramadan lanterns hung.The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The Israeli retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.In a relatively rare incident during the truce, Israel’s military said an air strike on Friday targeted two “suspects” approaching troops in southern Gaza, as a hospital in Khan Yunis said it had received the body of one person killed “in a strike”.- ‘Shackled with chains’ -Among the Israeli hostages released during the first phase of the truce was Eli Sharabi, now 53, who recounted his suffering in a televised interview.”For a year and four months my legs were shackled with chains with very, very heavy locks that cut into your flesh,” Sharabi said.He spoke of intense hunger and food deprivation.In return for the release of Sharabi and other captives, Israel released around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights issued a report that denounced mistreatment “amounting to torture” of Gazan health care workers in Israeli custody. It said more than 250 have been detained by Israel since the Gaza war began.Gaza militants also released five Thai hostages outside the truce deal’s terms.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before an initial phase expires.His comments came after Palestinian militant group Hamas called for international pressure on Israel to enter the next phase of the ceasefire, as Egypt said negotiations had resumed in Cairo.The truce’s first phase is due to expire on Saturday morning, after largely halting more than 15 months of bombardment and fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.”The ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold. The coming days are critical. The parties must spare no effort to avoid a breakdown of this deal,” Guterres said in New York.The truce led to the exchange of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It also enabled greater aid flows into the territory, where more than 69 percent of buildings were damaged or destroyed, almost the entire population was displaced and widespread hunger occurred because of the war, according to the United Nations.But talks on a second phase had been delayed. They were supposed to begin 16 days into the first stage, and an analyst, Max Rodenbeck, of the International Crisis Group think tank, said the second phase — aiming to bring a permanent end to the war — cannot be expected to start on Saturday.”But I think the ceasefire probably won’t collapse also,” he said.The preferred Israeli scenario is to free more hostages under an extension of the first phase, rather than a second phase, Defence Minister Israel Katz said.Hamas said in a statement that “with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire” the group “affirms its full commitment to implementing all the provisions of the agreement in all its stages and details”.The group called for global pressure on Israel “to immediately enter the second phase of the agreement without any delay”. The State Information Service of mediator Egypt said in a statement on Thursday: “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings”.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “instructed the negotiation delegation to depart for Cairo” on Thursday, his office said shortly after Hamas handed over the remains of Tsachi Idan and three other hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody.- Ramadan begins -In Gaza and throughout the Muslim world, this weekend is also the start of the holy month of Ramadan.Amid the rubble of a war-devastated neighbourhood of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, traditional Ramadan lanterns hung.The war began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The Israeli retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.In a relatively rare incident during the truce, Israel’s military said an air strike on Friday targeted two “suspects” approaching troops in southern Gaza, as a hospital in Khan Yunis said it had received the body of one person killed “in a strike”.On Friday thousands of people lined the streets in the Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv for the funeral of Idan, 49, after militants returned his body. At Bloomfield Stadium, home ground of Hapoel Tel Aviv, the football club Idan supported, many stood in the stands weeping and waving the club’s red colours alongside the national flag.Palestinians too mourned their dead.In Gaza City, armed militants and other Palestinians attended the funeral for 40 militants and civilians killed during the war, AFP images showed.- ‘Shackled with chains’ -During the truce’s first phase, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.Among those released was Eli Sharabi, now 53, who recounted his suffering in a televised interview.”For a year and four months my legs were shackled with chains with very, very heavy locks that cut into your flesh,” Sharabi said.He spoke of intense hunger and food deprivation.In return for the release of Sharabi and other captives, Israel was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in total during the first phase. Hamas officials told AFP that Israel had freed about 1,700 so far.The Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights issued a report that denounced mistreatment “amounting to torture” of Gazan health care workers in Israeli custody. It said more than 250 have been detained by Israel since the Gaza war began.Gaza militants also released five Thai hostages outside the truce deal’s terms.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.