Mossad, Shin Bet chiefs in Cairo to discuss second phase of Gaza deal

Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar travelled to Cairo to discuss arrangements for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Anadolu reported yesterday, citing Israeli TV.

According to Channel 12, Barnea and Bar “did not wait for the 16th day of the first phase as originally planned to begin negotiations for the next stage and travelled to Cairo on Wednesday.”

The channel added that negotiations would include discussions on “the conditions for the release of Palestinian prisoners,” specifically how many Palestinians would be freed in exchange for each Israeli prisoner.

It also stated that “plans regarding governance in Gaza after Hamas and the future of the territory have been under preparation for months in coordination with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.” Neither Abu Dhabi nor Riyadh has commented on these claims.

Meanwhile, the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom reported yesterday evening that eight Palestinian prisoners, all holding Israeli citizenship and serving life sentences, are set to be released as part of the second phase of the first stage of the agreement.

The newspaper added that these eight prisoners were detained between 2001 and 2003 during the Second Intifada. Five of them are affiliated with Hamas, while the remaining three have ties with Fatah.

The report highlighted that among the prisoners are two Jerusalemites, Naseem Zaatari and Fahmi Mashahra. Some 71 Palestinians who hold either Israeli citizenship or residency permits reset to be released, it added.

On Monday, Hamas announced in a statement that the second batch of prisoner exchanges with Israel under the first phase of the agreement would take place as scheduled on Saturday.

READ: Netanyahu warns of return to war in Gaza if phase 2 of agreement fails