Negotiations between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas on the next stage of the Gaza cease-fire have begun in Cairo, Egypt announced late Thursday.
Officials from Israel, Qatar and the U.S. on Thursday started "intensive discussions" on the second phase of the truce agreement, Egypt's state information service said in a statement.
The launch of talks helps avert a collapse of the cease-fire, whose first phase is set to expire on Saturday.
"The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance 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," Egypt said.
Under the deal, the cease-fire remains in effect during talks on the second phase, which are meant to negotiate an end to the war, including the return of all remaining hostages in Gaza who are alive, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the territory. The return of remaining deceased hostages would happen in the third phase.
The initial truce, brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas' 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Israel's genocidal attacks have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, mainly women and children.
The attacks displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza's population and decimated the territory's infrastructure and health system.
The announcement came a day after Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, the last planned swap of the cease-fire's first phase.
Hamas has said it stands ready to release all remaining hostages in one go if the second stage is agreed. It has so far returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Much could hinge on a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days.
Asked whether phase two of the cease-fire would come to fruition, Trump said his government had good talks on Gaza and that he thought it was coming up with solutions to problems in the Middle East.
"I think we're going to come up with some pretty good solutions, but phase one is almost complete," Trump told a joint White House press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Hours before talks began, an Israeli official said the country would not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip as called for under the cease-fire, a refusal that could severely complicate negotiations with Hamas and key mediator Egypt at a sensitive moment for the fragile truce.
Hamas said any Israeli attempt to maintain a buffer zone in the Philadelphi corridor would be a "blatant violation" of the cease-fire agreement. The group says that sticking to the deal is the only way for Israel to secure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the corridor on Saturday and complete it within eight days. There was no immediate comment about the corridor from Egypt, which is opposed to any Israeli presence on the Gaza side of its border.
