Netanyahu says ceasefire's second phase will begin soon

Next stage involves disarming Hamas and pulling Israeli soldiers out of Gaza Strip.

- BY MELANIE LIDMAN AND KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel and Hamas are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire,” after the militant group returns the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza.

Netanyahu spoke during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and emphasized that the second phase, which addresses the disarming of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, could begin as soon as the end of the month.

Hamas has yet to hand over the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. His body was taken to Gaza.

The ceasefire’s second stage also includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza and the formation of a temporary Palestinian government to run day-to-day affairs under the supervision of an international board to be led by President Trump.

A senior Hamas official on Sunday told the Associated Press the group is ready to discuss “freezing or storing or laying down” its weapons as part of the ceasefire in a possible approach to one of the most difficult issues ahead.

Netanyahu said few people believed the ceasefire’s first stage could be achieved, and the second phase is just as challenging.