Gaza ceasefire mediators met in Miami, Florida, to review the first stage of the US-brokered truce and urged all parties to exercise restraint amid efforts to usher in the second phase, the chief US envoy said on Saturday.
Senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey met Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, on Friday for ceasefire discussions.
“We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and co-operate with monitoring arrangements,” said a statement posted by Mr Witkoff on X.
The meeting came as the ceasefire is repeatedly broken. Israeli shelling on Friday killed at least six Palestinians who were seeking shelter east of Gaza city. Almost 400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire came into effect in October.
The truce remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violations and mediators warning that both sides are stalling.
The statement from the mediators’ meeting cited progress that had been made in the first stage of the peace agreement, including the return of hostages, partial withdrawals and expanded humanitarian assistance.
“In our discussions regarding phase two, we emphasized enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order,” the statement added.
A major sticking point before the next phase of the ceasefire can commence is the extent to which Hamas lays down its arms. Under the peace plan, Israel is meant to withdraw its troops from Gaza, which has been under Hamas rule since 2007.
The second phase, which has yet to begin, involves the creation and deployment of the stabilisation force. It is to be made up mainly of troops from Arab and Muslim-majority nations and will be responsible for security. A board of peace is also to be set up, with its members yet to be announced. Mr Trump has repeatedly bragged that “everybody wants to be on it”.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilisation force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.
The statement posted by Mr Witkoff added that further consultations would continue in the “coming weeks to advance the implementation of phase two”.
Mr Trump will also host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of the month for talks on advancing the ceasefire plan. It will be Mr Netanyahu’s fifth visit to the country since Mr Trump returned to office in January, and the first since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in October.