Israel will launch indirect negotiations with the Palestinian fighter organization Hamas for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza this week and requires the full disarmament of the enclave, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday.

Negotiations on the second phase of the agreement were to begin on February 2, but Qatar, which, along with Egypt and the United States, is mediated between the sides, said the talks have not yet begun.

“It will happen this week,” Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem.

Israel has given contradictory messages in recent weeks about participating in talks on the next stage of the three phases of fire, which came into force on January 19 with the aim of finally ending the war in Gaza.

The ceasefire agreement, which includes the return of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, remains in force despite a number of obstacles and accusations of violations that threatened to lead it to collapse.

However, negotiations on the second phase are expected to be difficult, as they include issues such as post -war gaza governance, which seems to be major differences between the sides.

“We will not accept the presence of Hamas or any other terrorist organization in Gaza,” Saar said.

But he added that if the negotiations are constructive, Israel will remain committed to its observance and may extend the first phase of the ceasefire, which was to take six weeks.

“If we see that there is a constructive dialogue with a possible horizon to reach an agreement, then we will make the timetable work for longer,” Saar said.

So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been returned in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Another 14 hostages, six of which are believed to be alive, will be returned to the first phase. Israel is trying to secure the liberation of the six living hostages on Saturday. The corpses of the other four hostages are expected to be delivered on Thursday.

An Israeli official said Israel would also begin to allow mobile houses to enter the Palestinians who were forced to flee the ruins.

Hamas accused Israel of delay in tradition and had threatened to postpone the release of hostages until the issue was resolved.

The fragile ceasefire agreement has also been overshadowed by US President Donald Trump’s appeal for moving the Palestinians and taking over the control of Gaza by the US.