The situation at a glance: Netanyahu travels to the USA – does the ceasefire in Gaza keep?

Negotiations on the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should begin in Washington in Washington. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet there with the US-Naie-Naße-sent Steve Witkoff and talk about Israel’s negotiation positions, said the head of the government. The following day, Netanyahu in the White House will come together with US President Donald Trump and talk to him about the future of the devastated Gaza Strip, it said.

Trump’s special -sentenced Witkoff will also advise himself during the week with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and rank -high representatives of Egypt and then speak again with Netanyahu. “About steps to advance the negotiations, including data for the departure of delegations for the talks”.

The USA, Qatar and Egypt act as an intermediary between Israel and Islamist Hamas, as they do not talk to each other directly. With her help, the current six -week ceasefire in Gaza came about.

In the indirect conversations, Israel and the Hamas had agreed that on the 16th day of ceasefire, i.e. tomorrow, negotiations on a permanent end of the war and the release of all living hostages. Right-wing extremist Israeli politicians have threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu should go through this second phase of the ceasefire agreement and risk the collapse of his coalition.

Thousands demand release of all hostages in Israel

Before Netanyahus today’s departure to Washington, thousands of demonstrators in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem called for the release of further hostages from the violence of Islamist Hamas. Relatives of the abducted people urged the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. You have the concern that it will not even happen and the war will go on.

After the release of three other kidnappers, 79 hostages will be recorded in the Gaza Strip, 35 of them are said to be dead. The agreement came into force on January 19. It states that in the first phase, 33 hostages are released against 1,904 Palestinian prisoners within six weeks. The Hamas recently announced that eight of the 33 were dead. It is unclear who it is. 18 hostages are now free.

One will continue to work for the release of all remaining hostages, as well as “the achievement of all war goals,” said Netanyahu. One of Israel’s war goals is the complete destruction of Hamas. If no agreement was reached in the upcoming further negotiations, the fights could continue, the head of government had recently threatened.

Netanyahu also wants to talk to Trump about Iran

During his “historical meeting” with Trump on Tuesday “the hostages, dealing with all elements of the Iranian axis and other central themes” on the agenda, Netanyahu’s office continued. In addition to Hamas in Gaza, Iran’s allies include the Hisbollah in Lebanon, who is also militarily weakened by Israel, and the Huthi militia in Yemen.

Netanyahu is likely to be the first head of government from abroad that Trump receives as President. Netanyahu’s office also emphasized this. This is seen as a strong gesture of support for Israel’s right -wing prime minister who has been very criticized internationally because of the warfare in the Gaza Strip. Trump is known as a close ally Netanyahus.

Trump had recently proposed that Egypt and Jordan should record the Palestinians from Gaza. That could be temporary or long -term. Trump argues that the Gaza Strip is literally a demolition fallow. Foreign Minister of several influential Arab states, however, rejected such a resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Arab countries reject Trump proposal to Gaza

A relocation endanger the stability of the region and extend the conflict, explained the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates as well as top representatives of the Palestinian autonomy and the Arab league. The rights of the Palestinians should not be violated “whether the settlement activities, designation or the destruction of houses or annexation”, it said.

In the past few days, Trump had been optimistic that Egypt and Jordan would follow his proposal. On Saturday he called President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi with Egypt’s President, as the White House announced. The question of the relocation of Palestinians was not mentioned in the message. Rather, it was said that Al-Sisi had confident that Trump’s leadership could initiate a “golden age of peace in the Middle East”.

Four more deaths in the West Bank

Meanwhile, violence in the West Bank continues to escalate. According to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, four people were killed in two other Israeli air raids. Previously, a 16-year-old was killed in a drone attack in Dschenin. Israel’s army said that a “car with terrorists” and a group of armed armed in Kabatia had been attacked. The city of Dschenin is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians.

Israel had started the largest military operation there in a long time on January 21. It takes place at a time when the already tensioned situation in the West Bank has drastically intensified in view of a strengthening of militant Palestinians and increasing violence of radical Israeli settlers.