Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv, March 1, 2025. (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Talks between Hamas and Israel once again reached an impasse over the weekend, as the first phase of the hostage deal expires with no extension in sight.
On Saturday, Day 42 of the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing its military troops from the Philadelphi Corridor to signal the start of phase 2 of the deal.
However, last week, Israel declared that it intends to keep its troops in the corridor. The Israeli delegation sent to Cairo, Egypt on Thursday attempted to negotiate a 42-day extension of the deal’s first phase, focusing on the hostages-for-prisoners exchanges.
However, the delegation returned with no agreement as the Hamas terrorist group insists on the start of phase 2, which would lead to an end of the war and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas Spokesman Hazem Qassem told the Qatari al-Arabi channel that extending phase 1 is “unacceptable,” accusing Israel of seeking to return hostages while keeping the option of resuming the war.
Qassem said that no negotiations were currently taking place and blamed Israel for the situation.
Meanwhile, an informed Egyptian source told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel refuses to commit to ending the war and fully withdrawing, as doing so would leave it without leverage and no guarantee of the hostages’ release.
One source told i24 News that the talks are close to a breaking point. “When [U.S. envoy] Witkoff arrives, things may happen. Everyone is waiting for him.”
Despite planning to travel to the region last week, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff doesn’t plan to visit the Middle East until, at least, U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, an Israeli official told the Times of Israel.
Hamas, in the meantime, released a new propaganda video to increase the pressure on the Israeli government. The video clip showed Yair Horn, who was released from captivity two weeks ago, as he said goodbye to his brother Eitan inside a Hamas tunnel in Gaza.
“The heart breaks to see Eitan in this difficult situation, where he parts from his brother who is being released while he remains held in the hell of Hamas, for 512 days already,” the Horn family stated.
“You can see the despair and fear in Eitan’s eyes… We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Do not stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us,” their statement added.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) condemned Hamas’ “cruel propaganda video,” in which hostages “are forced to engage in psychological warfare.”
“Israel will not be deterred by Hamas propaganda. We will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages and until all objectives of the war are met,” the PMO emphasized.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to discuss the status of the hostage negotiations on Saturday evening. Simultaneously, thousands of Israelis across the nation took to the streets to demand the government continue the deal.
