Israel is also sending negotiators to Cairo to discuss the continued implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza mark 500 days of captivity. 

Israel’s Security Cabinet is expected to meet on Monday to address the next phase of the ceasefire with militant group Hamas.

Israel and Hamas are currently implementing the first, 42-day phase of the truce deal, which has seen 19 Israeli hostages released from Gaza in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners previously held in Israeli jails.

The ceasefire’s first phase ends in two weeks.

Negotiations concerning the second phase to secure the release of more hostages and a lasting end to the fighting was to begin two weeks ago.

Some 70 hostages are still believed to be in Gaza. They were among the more than 250 people taken by Hamas-led militants during a terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that triggered the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his Security Cabinet would discuss the truce’s second phase on Monday. At the same time, he said Israeli negotiators would travel to Cairo to discuss the “continued implementation” of phase one.

The prime minister’s office said the team would “receive further directives for negotiations on Phase II” after the Cabinet meeting.

The meeting comes as US top diplomat Marco Rubio traveled to Saudi Arabia to promote US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for Gaza’s future. Trump’s plan would involve the US taking control of Gaza and moving more than 2 million Palestinians out of the territory.