The United States Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, expressed on Sunday his intention to travel to the region this week with the aim of extending the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Witkoff announced that he would negotiate the extension during his trip, scheduled for Wednesday, hoping to advance to phase two and achieve the release of more hostages.
In statements to CNN, Witkoff said: "We need to secure an extension of phase one, so I will go to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that, and we hope to have enough time to start phase two and release more hostages."
It is important to mention that the leader of Hamas, Mahmoud Mardawi, recently stated that negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire would not resume if Israel does not first release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners agreed upon in the seventh exchange.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday after the release of six hostages by the Palestinian group.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ends on Saturday, March 1, with a hostage exchange for an additional batch of Palestinian prisoners, according to the text of the pact. This situation jeopardizes the negotiations for the second phase.
Witkoff emphasized his perception that Netanyahu is motivated to see the hostages released and to protect Israel, clarifying that the leader does not want Hamas to participate in a governing body to ensure the state's security.
