US President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff indicates that the upcoming Israel-Hamas talks will be more substantive than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed. Netanyahu's office had stated that the negotiating team would only discuss technical issues, but Witkoff suggests that the agenda will cover more. Far-right coalition partners have pressured Netanyahu to resume fighting after the first phase and not hold negotiations for the second phase. Witkoff met with Netanyahu and discussed the issue, stating that the team is going to negotiate all the issues. It is unclear what he means by being in day 17 of phase two, but he expresses hope that the deal will be successful and that Trump is committed to it.
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Original article source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-envoy-signals-upcoming-israel-hamas-talks-will-be-more-substantive-than-pm-claimed/
Source Id: 2025-02-622888723