US envoys urge Netanyahu to move into Gaza ceasefire's second phase

CAIRO (AP) — Top U.S. envoys met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, urging his government to move into the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, according to the prime minister's office, which did not give details. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the talks, told reporters the envoys had been working closely with Netanyahu on recovering the remains of the last hostage in Gaza, and on the next steps for demilitarizing the territory.

The U.S. is anxious to keep the Trump-brokered deal moving, but Netanyahu faces pressure to wait until Hamas returns the hostage's remains.

The biggest signal of the second phase would be the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Ali Shaath, the head of a future technocratic government in Gaza that is expected to run day-to-day affairs, said Thursday the border crossing will open in both directions this coming week. There was no confirmation from Israel, which said it would consider the matter this week. The crossing's Gaza side is currently under Israeli military control.

The family of Ran Gvili, whose body is still in Gaza, urged more pressure on Hamas. “President Trump himself stated this week in Davos that Hamas knows exactly where our son is being held," the family said Saturday. “Hamas is deceiving the international community and refusing to return our son, the last remaining hostage, in what constitutes a clear violation of the agreement it signed.”

Hamas said Wednesday it has provided “all information” it has on Gvili’s remains to ceasefire mediators, and accused Israel of obstructing search efforts in areas it controls in Gaza. The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10.

Egypt’s top diplomat pressed for an immediate opening of the Rafah crossing with the director of Trump’s new Board of Peace in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Saturday, including the ability of Palestinians to enter and exit the territory.

Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty spoke by phone with Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, the ministry said in a statement. They discussed the implementation of the ceasefire's second phase, including the deployment of an international monitoring force, the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, the statement said.

The Egyptian minister said implementing the second phase is a “key entry point” to launch Gaza’s reconstruction. The statement didn’t say when the crossing will open for travelers and the evacuation of sick and wounded.

Israel is expected to discuss opening the Rafah crossing during Sunday's Cabinet meeting.

Also on Saturday, an Israeli strike killed two Palestinian teens in Gaza, according to hospital authorities. The boys, cousins aged 13 and 15, were searching for firewood, according to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which received the bodies.

The boys were killed in the area that Israel's military has said is safe for Palestinians, about 500 meters (yards) from the Yellow Line, which separates the Israeli-controlled areas in eastern Gaza from the rest of the strip, said a relative, Arafat al-Zawara.

“They were targeted directly, not through any fault of their own,” he told The Associated Press outside the morgue.

Israel's military said it had targeted several militants who crossed the Yellow Line and planted explosives, threatening troops. It denied that those killed were children.

Yusuf Zawara, covered in blood, begged for his son, Mohammad, to wake up. “No, he is not dead,” he said, embracing the body. “Mohammad, oh Mohammad, come on, get up.”

“They hit you with a missile. You couldn’t escape? Run, people, run! Why didn’t you run away?” he sobbed.

The desperate search for firewood is forcing many Palestinians to approach areas close to the Yellow Line as they seek anything that can be burned, including garbage and plastic, to cook and to warm themselves.

There has been no central electricity in Gaza since the first few days of the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and fuel for generators is scarce.

Hundreds of thousands of people are living in tent camps and war-damaged buildings in Gaza as temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night and storms blow in from the Mediterranean. At least nine children have died of severe cold in the past weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Shurafa reported from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

This story has been corrected to show the spelling of the boy’s name is Mohammad.

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Yusuf Zawara mourns over the body of his son, Mohammad Zawara, 15, who was killed along with his cousin Sulaiman Zawara, 13, in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, at Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

Palestinians receive donated food at a community kitchen in Nuseirat, in central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Yusuf Zawara mourns over the body of his son, Mohammad Zawara, 15, who was killed along with his cousin Sulaiman Zawara, 13, left, in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, at Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

Palestinian Mohanad Eslem, 22, cuts firewood for sale in front of his shop on Salah al-Din Street near al-Bureij camp, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Yusuf Zawara mourns over the body of his son, Mohammad Zawara, 15, who was killed in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, at Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

Palestinians carry the body of Mohammad Zawara, 15, who was killed in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, as they arrive at Shifa Hospital, Gaza City, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States wrapped up Saturday with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters" for ending the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Negotiators will return to the United Arab Emirates for the next round on Feb. 1, according to a U.S. official who described the meetings as upbeat and positive.

The talks are the first known instance that officials from the Trump administration have sat down with both countries as part of Washington’s push for progress to end Moscow’s nearly 4-year-old invasion.

“All parties agreed to report to their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

The meetings covered a broad range of military and economic matters and included the possibility of a ceasefire before a deal, said the official. There was not yet an agreement on a final framework for oversight and operation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is occupied by Russia and is the largest in Europe.

The power generated from the plant will be shared “on an equitable basis,” according to the official, but control of it was still undecided.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said there was “an understanding of the need for American monitoring and control of the process of ending the war and ensuring real security.”

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated alongside Ukrainian officials, including chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov. Russia sent military intelligence and army representatives, according to Zelenskyy.

While Zelenskyy said in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday that a potential peace deal was “nearly ready,” certain sensitive sticking points — most notably those related to territorial issues — remain unresolved.

The U.S. official said Russian and Ukrainian officials likely would need to hold further talks in Russia or Ukraine before there was a chance of Zelenskyy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, or even a joint session with President Donald Trump. There seemed to be momentum to reach the stage of leader meetings, according to the official, who spoke to reporters in Washington on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks in Abu Dhabi.

Just hours before the three-way talks began Friday, Putin discussed a Ukraine settlement with Witkoff and Kushner during marathon overnight talks. The Kremlin insists that to reach a peace deal, Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but has not fully captured.

The second day of talks came as Russian drone attacks killed one person and wounded four in the capital, Kyiv, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, drone attacks wounded 27 people, Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Saturday.

“Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.”

Morton reported from London and Price from Washington.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A resident leaves her home in a damaged building following a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

A paramedic gives first aid to a resident who was injured in a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)