ISRAEL’S far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the United States’ announcement of the so-called ceasefire in Gaza advancing to its second phase is largely symbolic.

Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into force on October 10, raising questions about whether phase two of the plan will bring any more respite for Gazans.

Speaking on Wednesday night with the parents of the last Israeli hostage whose remains are still in the coastal enclave, Mr Netanyahu said that the announcement of a governing committee of Palestinians as part of the second phase was merely a “declarative move,” rather than, as described by US envoy Steve Witkoff, a sign of progress.

Israeli police officer Ran Gvili’s parents had earlier pressed Mr Netanyahu not to advance the ceasefire until their son’s remains were returned, Israel’s Hostage and Missing Families Forum said earlier that day.

Mr Netanyahu told Mr Gvili’s parents that his return remained a top priority.

The announcement of the ceasefire’s second phase marked a significant step forward but left many questions unanswered.

They include the membership of a proposed apolitical governing committee of Palestinian experts and an international “board of peace.”

The committee’s composition has been co-ordinated with Israel, said an Israeli official speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Among the other remaining questions are the timing of deployment of international forces and the reopening of Gaza’s southern Rafah border crossing, as well as concrete details about disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza.

But Palestinians in Gaza questioned what moving into phase two would actually change on the ground, pointing to ongoing bloodshed and challenges in securing basic necessities.

More than 450 people have been killed since Israel and Hamas agreed to halt fighting in October, Gaza’s Health Ministry said today.

Those casualties, which Unicef said include more than 100 children, have taken the number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel’s offensive to 71,441, according to the ministry.

“We see on the ground that the war has not stopped, the bloodshed has not stopped and our suffering in the tents has not ended. Every day there is suffering in the tents, in the rain and the sun, from sun to rain to death,” said Samed Abu Rawagh, a man displaced to southern Gaza from Jabaliya.

Hamza Abu Shahab, a man from eastern Khan Younis now living in southern Gaza, said: “We need this news to be real, because in the second phase we will be able to return to our homes and our areas. God willing, it won’t just be empty promises.”