Highest-level meeting of mediators since Gaza ceasefire

Witkoff to meet mediators on Friday amid frustration over implementation of Gaza deal

Talks to be held in Miami with Qatar, Egypt, Turkey on transition to phase two of ceasefire; countries that brokered the truce feel Israel and Hamas both seeking to delay next stage

Top White House envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Friday in Miami with senior Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish officials to discuss phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, a White House official told The Times of Israel, confirming a report in the Axios news site.

The four countries believe that both Israel and Hamas are dragging their feet to avoid implementing the deal’s second phase, and are eager to decide on a joint approach for getting both sides to move forward, according to the report.

The meeting, the highest-level gathering of mediators since the Gaza ceasefire went into effect in October, will be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

The gathering comes ahead of an expected meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago later this month to discuss, among other issues, the Gaza ceasefire.

Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilization force is to be deployed.

But progress in moving to that phase of the agreement has so far been slow, while the ceasefire remains fragile with both sides alleging violations. Israel killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saad in Gaza last weekend, a move that reportedly sparked Trump to warn of jeopardizing the truce.

In the first phase of the Gaza deal, Palestinian terrorists committed to releasing the remaining 48 living and dead captives held in the territory.

So far, they have released all of the hostages except for the body of police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.

The Trump administration is now keen to proceed to the difficult second stage, with the provision for Hamas to lay down its weapons being a particular sticking point.

Hamas’s Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said Sunday that the terror group had a “legitimate right” to hold weapons. Israel has repeatedly insisted Hamas “will be disarmed.”

The third phase includes the reconstruction of the vast areas of Gaza leveled during the war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 devastating invasion of southern Israel.

Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.