Gaza Ceasefire Phase Two Hangs in Balance
On March 1, 2025, at 5:40 AM PST, the Gaza ceasefire Phase Two teeters as the six-week first phase ends Saturday. Since January 19, 33 Israeli hostages—living and dead—and 1,890 Palestinian prisoners swapped hands, yet Phase Two talks, set to free 24 living hostages and withdraw Israeli troops, stall. Cairo negotiations opened Friday—Israel’s team returned home by night, per reports. Netanyahu’s late Sabbath meeting with ministers and intel chiefs, rare and hush-hush, signals a push to extend Phase One, not exit Philadelphi corridor, an official told reporters: “No Hamas rearming.” Hamas insists on Phase Two guarantees from U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, per Friday’s stance.
Israel eyes six more weeks—more hostages, no pullout—adamant Hamas, behind October 7, 2023’s 1,200 deaths and 251 abductions, disarms and fades. Hamas wants governance clout, possibly via the Palestinian Authority, defying Israel’s red line. Egypt’s Gaza rebuild plan, due Tuesday at Cairo’s Arab League summit, lacks security heft Western diplomats demand, sidelining Trump’s evacuation pitch. Hostages Square in Tel Aviv braces for Saturday night protests—“59 hostages by day 50,” the Families Forum demands on X, fearing a halt. UN’s António Guterres urges “no breakdown,” but war’s specter looms over Gaza’s 2 million, digging bodies from rubble, per X posts.
Gaza Ceasefire Phase Two: Stakes Soar
Gaza ceasefire Phase Two falters—Israel holds Philadelphi, Hamas vows fight. Cairo talks limp; Egypt’s plan vies with Trump’s. Protests loom as war’s chill nears. For more, visit BBC or Kenkou Land.
Main Body: A Fragile Truce Teeters
Today, March 1, 2025, at 5:40 AM PST, Gaza ceasefire Phase Two hits a wall—42 days since January 19 delivered hostages and prisoners, not peace. Cairo’s Friday talks fizzled—Israel’s delegation bolted, Netanyahu’s late-night huddle with intel brass on Sabbath, odd and silent, hints at stalling troop exits for more releases. “No Hamas trucks, guns,” an official snapped Friday—Philadelphi’s hold, bucking Saturday’s deadline, echoes last summer’s ceasefire flop. Hamas demands U.S.-backed Phase Two talks—24 alive, 39 dead hostages wait—eyeing governance via proxies, not surrender, per X chatter.
Egypt’s rebuild sidesteps Trump’s “evacuate 2 million” call—Western doubt clouds its teeth. Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square gears for fury—“our only window,” the Forum pleads—59 souls hang on; Guterres warns of collapse. Gaza’s middling zones, spared so far, dread war’s return—48,348 dead, per Hamas tallies, haunt a fragile calm. At 5:40 AM PST, Kyiv’s Zelensky clash with Trump Friday boosts Putin’s grin—here, Israel and Hamas dig in. Will six weeks stretch, or shells fly? Grief, hope, and rubble brace—ceasefire’s thread frays.
