Palestinian group Hamas said on Tuesday that talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire had begun, as Israel said it would send negotiators to mediator Qatar later this week, AFP reports.

“Contacts and negotiations for the second phase have begun, and we are currently focused on shelter, relief and reconstruction for our people in Gaza,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in a statement, without specifying who was involved in the current negotiations, a little more than two weeks since the first phase went into effect.

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