Egypt Daily News – Hamas has announced its approval of a proposal to resume the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners. In a statement published on its Telegram account on Friday, Hamas said that its leadership delegation received a proposal from mediators yesterday to restart negotiations and responded to it with responsibility and positivity.
The movement confirmed its approval of the proposal, stating: “Hamas submitted its response early this morning, including its agreement to release the Israeli soldier Idan Alexander, who holds U.S. citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four others with dual nationality.”
It also reaffirmed its full readiness to start negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the second phase of the deal, calling for the occupation to be held accountable for fully implementing its commitments.
U.S. Mediation Efforts
According to four sources directly familiar with the matter, reported by Axios on Thursday, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff presented an updated proposal to extend the Gaza ceasefire for several weeks in exchange for Hamas releasing additional hostages and resuming humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The American news outlet noted that Witkoff held talks with Qatar’s Prime Minister and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Witkoff traveled to Doha a week after direct negotiations took place between Trump’s hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, and senior Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya. However, the report also highlighted that Witkoff did not meet with any Hamas officials during his visit to Doha.
The proposal calls for it to release at least five living hostages and the remains of approximately nine hostages on the first day of the extended ceasefire, according to a knowledgeable source.
“Hasn’t budged an inch”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that their response did not bring anything new. In a statement on Friday, it asserted that the group “has not budged even a millimeter” in ceasefire talks regarding Gaza.
The office further emphasized that Hamas “hasn’t moved an inch” in the negotiations and dismissed Hamas’s statement about releasing soldier Idan Alexander as a psychological warfare tactic. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with ministers tomorrow to discuss the negotiating delegation’s talks and the next steps.
The Israeli response came after Hamas announced that its delegation had received a proposal from mediators to resume negotiations, claiming it handled the proposal responsibly and positively, and submitted its response early this morning.
In its statement on Friday, Hamas reiterated that its response included approval to release Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander, along with the bodies of four others with dual citizenship.
