Israel’s government said on Sunday at the beginning of supporting a proposal to extend the first phase of cessation of fire In Gaza through Ramadan and Easter, although Hamas insisted on negotiating the second phase of the truce.
The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came minutes after the first phase ended, and as the conversations began to begin the second phase aimed at ending the war and see that all the remaining live hostages in Gaza returned home.
The statement gives new details on what Israel described as a US proposal: an extension of cessation of fire through Easter or April 20. The first day of the frame, half of the hostages, alive and dead, would be released. The rest would be released if an agreement is reached on a high fire.
The statement said that it was proposed after the north -American envoy Steve Witkoff had « the impression that at this stage there was no possibility of putting the positions of the parties to end the war and that it took more time for conversations in a permanent cessation. »
There was no immediate comment from Hamas, who previously rejected an Israeli proposal to expand the first phase of the cessation of 42 days, doubling its length, saying that it is against the truce agreement, according to a group member who requested anonymity to discuss closed doors negotiations.
Israeli officials and mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have participated in the negotiations at the beginning of the second phase of the Cessefire in Cairo. But Base Naim, a member of Hamas’ political office, told The Associated Press that there had been no « progress » before Israeli negotiators returned home on Friday. Hamas did not attend, but his position has been represented through the Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
According to the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement, the struggle should not be resumed while negotiations are underway in the second phase.
The new statement of Israel says that it can again fight « if he believes the negotiations are ineffective », and said that Hamas’ refusal to accept the proposal for an extension of the first phase.
However, « if Hamas changes its position, Israel will immediately enter the negotiations on all the details of Witkoff’s plan, » the statement says.
Prior to the new declaration of Israel, an Egyptian official involved in the talks spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations. The official said that Hamas, Qatar and Egypt wanted to continue the cessation of the existing fire and rejected Israel’s proposal to extend the cessation of fire for four weeks with a release of hostages every Saturday without officially entering negotiations on the second phase.
The Egyptian officer said that the United States wants to start negotiations in the second phase, but requested hostages launches during negotiations. Hamas insisted on a complete implementation of the cessation terms.
The first phase, which stopped 15 months of fighting in Gaza, saw the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hundreds of thousands of people returned home in the north of Gaza, helping the territory increased and the Israeli forces retreated to tampons.
Hamas began the war with October 7, 2023, a terrorist attack that left about 1,200 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Since then, the military offensive of Israel has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health officials, who do not differentiate between civilian and fighters, but say that more than half of the dead have been women and children.
According to Israel, 32 of the 59 hostages still in Gaza are dead.
The two parties agreed on the cessation of three -phase fire in January. The talks in the second phase had to start the first week of February. The Israelis gathered on Saturday night to urge their government to continue the agreement.
Hamas has reaffirmed his « complete commitment to implement all the terms of the agreement in all stages and details » and asked the international community to press Israel to continue immediately in the second phase.
Other challenges complicate Ceasefire’s future. Israel said that Hamas cannot be involved in the Gaza government after the war. Netanyahu has also ruled out any role in Gaza for Palestinian authority with Western support, dominated by Hamas’ main rival, Fatah.
Hamas leader Mohamed Darwish reiterated on Saturday that the group is willing to deliver power to a Palestinian national consensus government or a technocrats body proposed by Egypt not aligned with Hamas or Fatah. His comments came to an open letter to the Arab leaders’ summit next week. Hamas has dismissed Israel’s suggestion that his leadership is in exile.
Witkoff, Speaking to CBS News’ « Face the Nation » last weekend, said that ensuring the release of the last National of the United States, believed to be among the surviving hostages, EDAN Alexander It was « Front and center for us ». Alexandre was at the service of Israel’s Defense Forces when he was abducted during the October 7 terrorist attack,
« I know his parents, » Witkoff told CBS News. « We talk all the time. It’s critical. It is one of the most important goals of President Trump is to get all the North -Americans to be home and we will be successful in getting EDAN at home, I think. »
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