What is the Follow-up to the Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip?

What will happen to the second phase of ceasefire negotiations?

The second phase of Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks in Gaza began in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday (27/2/2025) local time or Friday Indonesian time. The second phase of the ceasefire is intended as a continuation of the first phase which ended on Saturday (1/3/2025). Israel's reluctance to withdraw troops from the Philadelphia Corridor has again become a stumbling block.

The talks were delayed for about two weeks. In addition to accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, the talks were also delayed because the bodies of Israelis returned by Hamas did not match their identities.

Egypt's Government Information Service said Israeli, Qatari and US officials had begun intensive discussions on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

"The mediators also discussed ways to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region," the statement said.

The talks for phase two are intended to negotiate an end to the war and the return of all remaining Israelis still being held hostage in Gaza. The talks also discuss the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The return of the bodies of the Israelis held hostage will be carried out in phase three.

How is the progress of the release of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas?

On January 19, 2025, with Egyptian mediation, Hamas and Israel reached a first phase ceasefire agreement. It included Hamas returning 33 hostages, including 8 who had died. So far, 29 hostages have been returned. Hamas returned the bodies of four more hostages on Thursday (27/2/2025).

In return, Israel released 620 Palestinian prisoners. According to records, the prisoners released consisted of 445 men and 24 women and children. The ceasefire agreement also stated that Israeli troops must withdraw from Gaza and various social aid must be allowed into Gaza.

The first phase of the ceasefire ended on Friday (28/2/2025). As of Saturday (1/3/2025), it should have entered the second phase. So far, there has been no announcement from Hamas-Israel regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire. There are still 59 hostages that have not been released by Hamas.

"There is no proposal regarding the second phase, although we are ready to go further," Hamas said, as quoted by ABC media.

Referring to the ceasefire agreement on January 19, the second phase was also 42 days like the first phase. The agreement is for the return of the remaining Hamas hostages. On the other hand, Israel withdrew all troops from Gaza and stopped any attacks permanently. Israel also released detained Palestinians according to the agreed number.

After the second phase is completed, there is a third phase for 42 days. This is the return of the remains of the hostages and prisoners by both parties. In this phase, the development of Gaza will begin. Compensation to the aggrieved people is carried out under the supervision of several countries and institutions. Some of them are the United Nations, Egypt, and Qatar.

What do Israelis held hostage in Gaza and Palestinians detained in Israel experience?

Agam Berger (20), one of the Israeli hostages who was freed from the Gaza Strip, said that his faith had enabled him to survive for almost 16 months as a hostage in the Gaza Strip. He used some of the available equipment, including Jewish prayer books given by the hostage-takers, to carry out Jewish worship.

Berger told the story of her hostage situation in the Gaza Strip in an interview with Israeli radio, Reshet Bet, Tuesday (25/2/2025). Berger is a female member of the Israeli military who works as a scout. Berger's interview was the first interview with the media of a hostage released in a ceasefire.

Berger told Reshet Bet radio that she had been moved continuously to different locations in the past 16 months in Gaza. She was held in apartments and tunnels, along with other female hostages. Berger said that the conditions of the hostage-taking varied, depending on the location and who was guarding the hostages.

“We were fed and in conditions that were mostly okay when you know what to expect,” he said. “But when you think about it, the conditions were not human.” Other hostages said they were starved, handcuffed and tortured through accounts provided by their families.

Some of the 183 Palestinian prisoners who were released also experienced ill-treatment. Their bodies were thin and appeared to have been physically tortured. There was even a Palestinian who was released with a ventilator attached. Seven prisoners were reportedly rushed to the hospital for treatment. Some Palestinian prisoners were taken to the West Bank, Gaza, or Egypt.

Hamas accused Israel of adopting a policy of “slow killing” of Palestinian prisoners.

After the Hamas-Israel ceasefire, what are Palestinians doing in the Gaza Strip?

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip leave their shelters to return to their homes. Some houses are still standing, but most have been destroyed.

A report last week by the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union projected that rebuilding the Gaza Strip would cost $53 billion. For now, there is little capacity or funding to begin any significant rebuilding projects.

The priority now is to make Gaza habitable as soon as possible. Hamas has threatened to delay the release of the hostages unless humanitarian aid, in the form of tents and temporary shelters, is allowed into Gaza. Israel has finally agreed to allow tents and construction equipment.

According to PBB, humanitarian agencies have enhanced services and established free kitchens and water delivery stations. Tents and tarpaulins have been distributed to hundreds of thousands of people across Gaza. The Gaza Municipality has begun repairing some water pipelines and clearing debris from roads, but they lack heavy equipment.

What have Arab and Gulf countries done or are doing to help with the Gaza issue?

The idea of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to take over the Gaza Strip has united Arab countries in agreement to oppose it. Leaders from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates gathered in Riyadh on Friday (21/2/2025).

It's just that no final agreement has been reached regarding the "counter plan" from the Arab countries. There is still no post-war reconstruction plan for Gaza, particularly concerning who will govern Gaza and how its reconstruction will be funded. Trump's idea for Gaza sparked global outrage when he proposed that the US "take over" the Gaza Strip and relocate more than two million of its residents to Egypt and Jordan.

Both countries have rejected the idea on national security grounds, especially because of the Hamas element. Jordan fears that the planned relocation of Gazans will fuel radicalism that will spread chaos in the Middle East and endanger Jordan's peace with Israel. But there is another problem: Egypt and Jordan are heavily dependent on US financial and military support.

The Gulf Arab states need the US for their security umbrella, so they may not be able to take a hard line with Trump. Egypt is developing a comprehensive plan to rebuild Gaza without the forced relocation of Palestinians. This would be a counter-proposal to Trump’s proposal. However, the Gaza reconstruction plan remains hampered by fragile ceasefire negotiations.

Egypt's plan includes a three-phase reconstruction process that will take five years. Specifically, the plan designates three "safe zones" in Gaza to relocate Palestinian residents during the "initial recovery period" for the first six months. These zones will be equipped with tents and shelters supported by humanitarian aid.