Israel Netanyahu in USA - new negotiations on ceasefire deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. "This is an important meeting that will strengthen the deep alliance between Israel and the United States and improve our cooperation," wrote Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon, who received Netanyahu at the airport, on Platform X on Sunday evening (local time). According to the Israeli Prime Minister's office in Washington, negotiations on the next phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas are to begin today.
03.02.2025, 05:30
03.02.2025, 05:31
SDA
According to his office, Netanyahu will first meet with Witkoff and discuss Israel's negotiating position. "However, "the really serious negotiations on the second phase" of the agreement with Hamas would only begin after the meeting with Trump, a senior Israeli official told the US news site Axios. "Nothing significant will happen before that."
The talks with Trump are reportedly due to take place on Tuesday, but no details of the program have yet been officially announced. Netanyahu announced that he would talk to Trump about "defeating Hamas", among other things.
Relatives fear for hostages
In Israel, the relatives of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip in particular fear that the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas agreed in January may not be implemented at all - meaning that many of the kidnapped hostages will not be released. Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners are pushing for a resumption of the war.
According to media reports, Trump and Netanyahu are also seeking a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, which has the arch-enemy Iran in common with Israel. In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump initiated the so-called Abraham Accords to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states - a historic breakthrough at the time. In October 2023, the nascent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia was abruptly ended by the massacre of Hamas and other Islamist terrorists in southern Israel.
Reports: Hamas delegation travels to Moscow
According to reports by the Russian news agencies Tass and Ria Novosti, a Hamas delegation headed by deputy politburo chief Mussa Abu Marsuk will arrive in Moscow today. The Kremlin guests want to inform the Russian side about progress in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war, wrote Tass, citing a source in the Hamas leadership. There are also plans to ask Russia for help in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Israel expands operation in the West Bank
Meanwhile, the Israeli army is reportedly expanding its operations in the northern West Bank and is now also active in Tamun. Israeli ground troops and bulldozers have advanced to raid refugee neighborhoods in the area, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. The Israeli army announced that it had found weapons in the village. In Jenin, around 25 kilometers to the north, the military is also continuing to take action against Palestinian militants.
In its operation in the north of the West Bank, which began in January, Israel's military says it has so far killed 50 militants, 15 of them with air strikes. More than 100 wanted suspects have been arrested, dozens of weapons confiscated and hundreds of explosive devices destroyed. The information cannot be independently verified.
Abbas calls for UN Security Council meeting
Palestinian media reported that Israel's army had blown up 20 buildings in Jenin. The Israeli military confirmed that it had destroyed 23 buildings in the area of the city, which had been used to manufacture explosives or store weapons, among other things. Photographs showed how dark smoke lay over the city after the buildings were blown up. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also called for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council in view of the "destruction of entire apartment blocks" in Jenin and the town of Tulkarem.
EU concerned about work ban for Palestinian relief organization
The ban on the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA operating in Israel, which has been criticized by Germany and others, continues to worry the European Union. The ban also has far-reaching consequences for the organization's work in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, explained EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. The EU is determined to continue supporting the UN relief organization so that it can fulfil its mandate.
Despite the work ban in force since Thursday, the organization is continuing its activities for the time being, according to the UN. UNRWA clinics throughout the West Bank and in East Jerusalem are therefore still open.
