Fri Feb 28 16:35:14 UTC 2025: ## Hamas Demands International Pressure for Gaza Ceasefire’s Next Phase
**Jerusalem, February 28, 2025** – Hamas has called for international pressure on Israel to swiftly proceed to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which is set to expire soon. Negotiations are ongoing in Cairo involving Israeli, Qatari, and US delegations, facilitated by Egypt. This comes as Israel mourns Tsachi Idan, a hostage whose remains were returned from Gaza as part of a prisoner exchange under the initial phase of the truce.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19th, saw the release of 643 Palestinian prisoners by Israel in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including Idan, and the release of 25 living hostages by Hamas. The exchange also included the release of Nael Barghouti, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails. While the initial phase largely halted the fighting that erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas insists on international intervention to secure a permanent end to the conflict.
An internal Israeli army probe released Thursday revealed the military’s complete failure to prevent the October 7th attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 Israelis, mostly civilians. The Israeli military chief, General Herzi Halevi, accepted responsibility and resigned last month. The Israeli retaliation in Gaza, however, has resulted in more than 48,000 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry – figures the UN considers reliable.
The current situation remains tense, with the focus on whether international pressure can successfully push for a lasting resolution to the ongoing conflict.
First Piper 