Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says the government is prepared to move to stage two of the ceasefire agreement, which includes Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all live captives.
However, in remarks cited by Reuters news agency, he said there would have to be a captive-release agreement before advancing to this stage.
Sa’ar’s statement seems to run counter to the position outlined just days ago by PM Netanyahu, who said Israel sought a six-week extension of phase one of the ceasefire, rather than moving to phase two.
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, he said Israel’s conditions for proceeding to stage two of the ceasefire are Gaza’s full demilitarisation and the return of captives.
“We don’t have an agreement on phase two,” said Sa’ar. “We demand total demilitarisation of Gaza – Hamas and Islamic Jihad out – and give us our hostages. If they agree to that we can implement tomorrow.”
