The Hebrew website Walla quoted an Israeli source as saying that the Prime Minister of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, will discuss tonight the response to the Palestinian resistance movement (Hamas)’s refusal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the discussions will address a wide range of options, starting with reducing humanitarian aid and may even extend to renewing the war completely. The official, who refused to reveal his name, confirmed that he hopes that “tonight’s decisions will not lead to the collapse of the deal.”

The official confirmed that "the Israeli negotiating team's talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators did not achieve any progress," adding that "Hamas made it clear to Egypt and Qatar, and through them to the United States, that it must ensure Israel's implementation of the agreement." He stressed that "officials in Israel and the mediating countries believe that the administration of US President Donald Trump alone can lead the negotiations out of the dead end they are facing."

Despite the Israeli allegations, Hamas was flexible regarding the negotiations, and also sent a message to the Arab Summit in which it confirmed its readiness to cooperate with any initiative that would confront attempts to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and rebuild it without prejudice to Palestinian rights, especially the Palestinian people’s “firm right to resist the occupation, achieve a just solution to our Palestinian cause that guarantees the right to self-determination, establish an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and Jerusalem as its capital, and return refugees to their cities and villages from which they were displaced since the Nakba.”

Witkoff heads to Israel next weekend to resume talks

Today, Saturday, the Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation said that the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is expected to visit Israel by the end of next week. The Hebrew Corporation (official) stated that Witkoff's visit, expected by the end of next week, will be after the "State of the Union" address that the US President will deliver next Tuesday.

On January 19, the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement began, which includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, with the condition that the next stage be negotiated before the current stage is completed. While Netanyahu continues to procrastinate in starting the negotiations for the second stage, which were supposed to start on February 3, during the first stage, 33 prisoners were released, including eight bodies, in exchange for 1,755 Palestinian prisoners.