Israel will begin negotiations on the second phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal, including an exchange of Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Tuesday, adding that Israel demanded a complete demilitarization of the enclave.
Sa’ar also stated that the IDF will complete its withdrawal from Lebanon on Tuesday, but that the military will temporarily remain in multiple points along the border for Israel’s security.
Negotiations for the second phase of the deal were supposed to start on February 2, but Qatar, who, together with Egypt and the United States, is mediating between the sides, said the talks have not officially started yet.
"It will happen this week," Sa'ar told a press conference in Jerusalem.
Sa’ar said that Hamas is working to adopt the “Hezbollah model,” noting that Israel would not accept anything less than the full disarmament of the Gaza Strip.
"We will not accept the continued presence of Hamas or any other terrorist organization in Gaza," Sa'ar said.
He also called for the removal of any Palestinian Authority presence in the area. “The Palestinian Authority continues its deceptive practices. Based on the statements and information we have, payments to the families of terrorists continue this week as usual. The PA continues to finance and encourage terrorism,” Sa’ar stated.
Prolonging the first phase of the deal
But he added that if the negotiations are constructive, Israel will remain engaged and may prolong the first phase of the ceasefire, which is meant to last six weeks.
"If we will see there is a constructive dialogue with a possible horizon of getting to an agreement (then) we will make this time-frame work longer," Sa'ar said.
The foreign minister denied any possibility of civilian control of Gaza transferred from Hamas to the PA as well.
Noting Trump’s proposal to redevelop Gaza under US control, an idea supported by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Sa’ar added that Arab states have created an alternative plan to counter Trump’s plan.
Reuters contributed to this report.