Turkey, Hamas discuss Gaza ceasefire deal's second phase

The Foreign Minister of Turkey, Hakan Fidan on Wednesday met with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the agreement to its second phase, a Foreign Ministry of Turkey source said.

The source said the Hamas officials told Fidan that they had fulfilled their requirements as part of the ceasefire deal, but that Israel’s continued targeting of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from moving to the next phase.

The Hamas members also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods like medication, equipment for housing, and fuel were needed, the source added.

Israeli defence minister vows military to remain in Gaza

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the military would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that a civilian-military army unit would be established in the Palestinian enclave.

According to a U.S.-backed peace plan signed by both Israel and Hamas in October, the Israeli military will gradually withdraw completely from the coastal enclave and Israel will not re-establish civilian settlements in the coastal territory.

“We are located deep inside Gaza and we will never leave all of Gaza. There will never be such a thing. We are there to protect, to prevent what happened,” Katz said in a speech, referring to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 raid on Israel.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment.

Referring to units of the Israeli military, Katz said: “When the time comes, in northern Gaza … we will build Nahal units instead of the (Israeli) communities that were displaced. We will do so in the right way at the right time.”

“We don’t trust anybody else to protect our citizens,” he said, pointing to what he said was also a need to be also in Lebanon and Syria.