CNN
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The first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza that saw dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed is nearing its end – with Israel and Hamas split on what comes next.
In essence, the Israelis want phase one to continue – the exchange of hostages, alive and deceased, in return for the continued release of Palestinian prisoners and the flow of higher volumes of aid into Gaza. There are thought to be 24 Israeli hostages still alive in Gaza.
But Hamas insists that negotiations include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza they still occupy and a permanent end to the conflict, as envisaged in the second phase of the deal.
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