The Israeli government said at the beginning of Sunday it supports the proposal to extend The first stage of ceasefire In Gaza via Ramadan and Easter, though Hamas insisted on the negotiations on the second armistice phase.
In a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, a few minutes after the first stage ended, and as the negotiations began with the beginning of the second stage, aimed at ending the war and seeing that all other living hostages returned home.
The statement provides new details that Israel called the US proposal: expanding the ceasefire through Easter, or on April 20. On the first day of the frame half of the hostages, live and dead, will be released. The rest will be released if the agreement on the permanent ceasefire is reached.
The statement said that he was proposed after us, Steve Witco Messenger, created “the impression that at this stage it was not possible to overcome the parties' positions to stop the war, and that it would take longer for the negotiation for a permanent ceasefire.”
There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which previously rejected Israel's proposal to extend the first stage of ceasefire for 42 days, after the length of its length, which was coming against the agreement of the truce, according to a member of the group who asked for anonymity to discuss the closed door.
Officials from Israel and mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US participated in the negotiations on the launch of the second ceasefire in Cairo. But Baim Naim, a member of Hamas Political Bureau, said the Associated Press was “lack of progress” before Israeli negotiators returned home on Friday. Hamas was not present, but his position was presented through Egyptian media and catarrh.
According to the ceasefire terms, the fight should not resume until negotiations are underway.
The new statement of Israel states that she could return to the fight “if he believes that negotiations are ineffective,” and she noted Hamas's refusal to accept the proposal of the first stage.
However, “if Hamas change its position, Israel will immediately negotiate on all details of the Witco's plan,” the statement reads.
An Egyptian official who participated in the negotiations spoke to the new statement of Israel, subject to anonymity for discussion of the negotiations. The official said that Hamas, Qatar and Egypt wanted to continue the existing ceasefire agreement, and they rejected Israel's proposal to extend the ceasefire within four weeks with hostages released every Saturday, without negotiating in the second stage.
The Egyptian official said the United States wanted to start negotiations in the second stage, but called for hostage hostages during the talks. Hamas insisted on the fully implementation of the ceasefire conditions.
In the first phase, which paused for 15 months of fighting in Gaza, he released 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for almost 2000 Palestinian prisoners. Hundreds of thousands of people returned home to northern gas, helping the territory, and Israeli forces retreated to buffers.
Hamas started the war on his October 7, 2023, a terrorist attack, which left about 1,200 dead 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 health officials who do not distinguish between civilian and combat, but they say that more than half of the dead were women and children.
According to Israel, 32 of 59 hostages died.
Both sides agreed with the three -phase ceasefire in January. Negotiations in the second stage were to start the first week of February. The Israelis rallied on Saturday evening to call their government to continue the deal.
Hamas reaffirmed his “complete commitment to the implementation of all the terms of the agreement at all its stages and details” and called on the international community to press on Israel to immediately go to the second phase.
Other problems complicate the future ceasefire. Israel said Hamas could not participate in gas management after the war. Netanyahu also excluded any role in Gaza for the Palestinian administration, where Hamas Fata's main competitor prevails.
Hamas leader Mohammed Darwish once again confirmed that the group is ready to transfer the power of the Palestinian National Government to the consensus or in Egypt, which offer technocrat, which are not given according to Hamas and Fata. His comments came in an open letter to the Arab leaders summit next week in Cairo. Hamas rejected Israel's proposal for his leadership to exile.
Witkoff, Speaking on CBS News' The “collision with the nation” last weekend said the consolidation of the release of the last US, which is believed to be among the surviving hostages, Edan Alexander It was “front and center for us”. Alexander served in the forces of Israel's defense when he was abducted during the October 7 terrorist attacks,
“I know his parents,” Vitkoff CBS News said. “We are talking all the time. He is critical. This is one of President Trump's most important tasks – to bring all Americans home, and I suppose we will be successful in Edon's return home.”