Trump said at the White House: “We are engaged in very deep negotiations with Hamas (…).” However, the American President once again threatened the group, stating: “If they don’t release the hostages, it will be difficult for them…”
Israel resumed its bombing of the Gaza Strip on March 18, after a halt of nearly two months, specifically since the agreement’s inception on January 19, following stalled negotiations to extend the first phase of the agreement or move to its second phase.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was supposed to continue once the first phase was extended, which ended on March 1, or proceed to its second phase. However, disagreements between Israel and Hamas regarding the next steps prevented this.
