The second phase of the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel will begin on Monday, as the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that Benjamin Netanyahu will meet in Washington on Monday with Steve Witkoff, the US President's envoy in the US capital. This comes after Netanyahu threw the negotiations, which were supposed to begin on Monday in the Qatari capital, into chaos and uncertainty, declaring that he would postpone negotiations with mediators until after his return from Washington.

All eyes are on Netanyahu's meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House, in what has been described as a crucial meeting for the future of the deal, and perhaps the future of the Gaza Strip, the future of Hamas, and the future of Netanyahu's coalition as well.

Since the first day, Netanyahu has been evading this deal due to his unwillingness to stop the war, in order to remain in power, and in the hope of toppling the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), under the slogan of “absolute victory,” and avoiding the confusing complications that threaten the cohesion of his most right-wing and extremist ruling coalition, and threaten his political future, and in line with the desires of his political partners who are greedy to occupy the Strip and resettle it.

Netanyahu arrived in the United States on Sunday, becoming the first foreign leader invited by Trump to meet him after taking over the White House two weeks ago (January 20, 2025), in what was interpreted as a reward for Netanyahu for accepting pressure from Trump and his envoy, Saif Witkoff, to cease fire on December 15, and to activate it on the 19th of the same month.

The implementation of the first phase, which began a day before Trump took office, was a resounding success, as Hamas was able to fulfill its commitment to hand over Israeli prisoners with discipline and professionalism, while the Israeli occupation authorities continued to release Palestinian prisoners in crude, chaotic and humiliating ways. With the end of the fourth round of prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas, as part of the first round of the truce in the Gaza Strip, Israel is preparing to resume indirect negotiations with Hamas regarding the second phase of the agreement, starting Monday in Washington.

Netanyahu's office announced the freezing of the Doha talks until after his meeting with Trump, and the launch of bilateral talks on Monday between him and the Trump administration, following the success of the fourth round of Palestinian prisoner exchanges and Israeli detainees, which witnessed the release of 3 hostages in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons on Saturday.

The three-stage truce agreement calls for a cessation of hostilities and an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas. The first stage will last for six weeks and includes the release of 33 Israeli detainees from Gaza in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian detainees.

It is noteworthy that the agreement on the first phase stipulates that the parties will begin talks on the second phase after 16 days have passed since the start of the current phase, which will last 42 days.

While the details of the second and third phases are still unclear, former US President Joe Biden has previously indicated that the transition to the second phase will be based on the success of the first phase of the agreement.

The former president also stressed that "Israel will negotiate, over the next six weeks, the necessary arrangements to move forward to the second stage, which will represent the decisive end to the war."

For his part, the Qatari Prime Minister confirmed, in previous statements, that the second and third phases of the agreement will be worked on to complete their provisions, "during the implementation of the first phase."

"When Phase Two begins, there will be an exchange of the remaining surviving hostages, including male soldiers, and all remaining Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza. The temporary ceasefire will then become permanent," Biden said.

Biden stressed that the ceasefire should continue as long as discussions continue on moving from phase one to phase two, even if they last more than 6 weeks.

The second phase is of exceptional importance, as it represents a turning point in the course of the crisis that has been ongoing since December 7, 2023, and is expected to include the release of all remaining living hostages, including men under the age of fifty and soldiers.

At the same time, Palestinian prisoners will be released en masse, in conjunction with the continued withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the Gaza Strip. The temporary ceasefire will be transformed into a permanent one.

While the third phase is supposed to allow for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the definition of a model of governance for the Palestinian sector.

The mediation countries aspire to make the stages of the announced agreement a success, as Qatar and Egypt, with direct American support, led intensive discussions with the Israeli and Palestinian sides to advance the negotiations, which have faltered more than once.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement Saturday that he agreed with Witkoff that negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal "will begin when they meet in Washington next Monday."

Netanyahu hopes to receive a package of gifts from Trump, including the right to return to war to please his right-wing partners, the right to expand settlements, annex parts of the West Bank, an unprecedented influx of American weapons, and pressure on Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.