Netanyahu says the announced start of Gaza ceasefire's next phase is a 'declarative move'

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes in central Gaza on Thursday (Jan 15) killed nine people, including three women, a day after the US announced that the fragile ceasefire would advance to its second phase. Speaking with the parents of the last Israeli hostage whose remains are still in Gaza, Netanyahu late Wednesday said the governing committee of Palestinians announced as part of the second phase was merely a “declarative move,” rather than the sign of progress described by US envoy Steve Witkoff. Those include the makeup of the proposed, apolitical governing committee of Palestinian experts and an international “Board of Peace."