Uncertainty looms as first phase of Gaza truce due to expire

JERUSALEM: The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed as “Hamas propaganda” Saturday footage released by the Palestinian militant group showing what appeared to be Israeli hostages in Gaza.
“The Hamas terrorist organization has, this evening, disseminated another cruel propaganda video in which our hostages are forced to engage in psychological warfare,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The release of the footage by Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, came as the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire which took effect on January 19 was due to expire on Saturday with no clarity about what happens next.
The three-minute video shows the emotional farewell between Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn and his brother Eitan, suggesting that it was filmed shortly before Yair’s release on February 15.
In the video, Eitan Horn relays a message from Hamas urging the Israeli government to “sign the second phase of the (ceasefire) deal and return us home.”
“Get everyone out and do not separate families,” he says.
The footage is accompanied by a message from Hamas reading: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive.”
It is followed by ticking sounds and an image of an egg timer with the message: “Time is running out.”
In a statement after the video’s release, Netanyahu’s office said: “Israel will not be deterred by Hamas propaganda.
“We will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages and until all objectives of the war are met.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli group that campaigns for the release of all captives from Gaza, said the Horn family had given its permission for the footage of the two brothers to be published.
“It breaks our heart to see Eitan in this difficult situation, saying goodbye to his brother, (Y)air, who is being freed while Eitan remains held in Hamas hell for 512 days now,” the Horn family said in a statement.
“We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us. They are running out of time! Bring everyone home, now, in one phase.”
Hamas has offered to release all remaining hostages in one go in a second phase of the ceasefire. Israel has called for releases to continue in batches in an extension of the first stage of the ceasefire that has been rejected by the militant group.

ISTANBUL: Kurdish militants who have waged a 40-year insurgency in Turkiye declared a ceasefire on Saturday in what could mark a significant boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, two days after their imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm.
The announcement by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, comes against the backdrop of fundamental changes in the region, including the reconfiguration of power in neighboring Syria after the toppling of President Bashar Assad, the weakening of the Hezbollah militant movement in Lebanon and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK has led to tens of thousands of deaths since it began in 1984. The ceasefire is the first sign of a breakthrough since peace talks between the PKK and Ankara broke down in the summer of 2015.
The PKK declaration was published by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group, on Saturday. It referred to the insurgents’ leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned by Turkiye since 1999.
“We declare a ceasefire effective today to pave the way for the implementation of Leader Apo’s call for peace and democratic society. None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” it said, referring to Ocalan by his nickname.
A ceasefire follows a campaign of pressure on Kurds

On Thursday, a delegation of Kurdish politicians announced Ocalan’s call for the PKK to lay down its arms and disband after visiting him on his island prison.
In its statement, the PKK’s executive committee said Ocalan’s call indicated that a “new historical process has begun in Kurdistan and the Middle East.” Kurdistan refers to the parts of Turkiye, Iraq, Syria and Iran inhabited by Kurds.
While stating that it would “comply with and implement the requirements of the call from our own side,” the PKK emphasized that “democratic politics and legal grounds must also be suitable for success.”
Ocalan’s call came as the main pro-Kurdish political party in Turkiye has faced pressure, with several of its mayors being removed from office in recent months and replaced by government appointees.
The PKK also appealed for Ocalan to be released from Imrali prison, located in the Marmara Sea, to “personally direct and execute” a party congress that would lead to the militants laying down their arms.
The peace initiative between the Turkish state and the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkiye and its Western allies, was started in October by Erdogan’s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli, a far-right politician who suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.
Erdogan said Ocalan’s message was a “new phase” in peace efforts in Turkiye.
“There is an opportunity to take a historic step toward tearing down the wall of terror that has stood between (Turkish and Kurdish peoples’) 1,000-year-old brotherhood,” Erdogan said on Friday.
The government’s first response to the ceasefire came from Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz. “A new phase has been entered toward the goal of a terror-free Turkiye. … We hope that this opportunity will be seized, this effort will be concluded quickly and successfully,” he posted on X.
Erdogan’s allies eye Kurdish support for changing the constitution
Some believe the main aim of the reconciliation effort is for Erdogan’s government to garner Kurdish support for a new constitution that would allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his term ends.
Bahceli has openly called for a new constitution, saying it was essential for Turkiye’s future that Erdogan remain in power. Erdogan and Bahceli are reportedly seeking parliamentary support from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM.
“There will be a series of meetings next week, including state officials and politicians, and many things will become clearer and more concrete. We hope that everything will be arranged in the next three months,” said Sirri Sureyya Onder, one of the DEM members who visited Ocalan in prison on Thursday.
Ocalan, 75, wields significant influence in the Kurdish movement despite his 25-year imprisonment, during which the PKK has been led by top figures who have fled and found sanctuary in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
In Syria, Kurdish fighters — who have ties to the PKK — have been involved in intense fighting with Turkish-backed forces on the ground there.
The leader of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has said Ocalan’s call for a ceasefire does not apply to his group in Syria.
The Turkish government, however, says all Kurdish groups it claims are tied to the PKK — whether in Turkiye, Syria or Iraq — must disband.
In recent years, the PKK has been limited to isolated attacks inside Turkiye as the Turkish military, backed by armed drones, has pushed PKK insurgents increasingly across the mountainous border into Iraq.