Egypt Daily News – The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that, following a security discussion chaired by him, Israel has decided to adopt the framework proposed by U.S. President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan and Passover.
He added that half of the hostages, both alive and deceased, would be released on the first day of the agreement. Ultimately, if a permanent ceasefire agreement is reached, the remaining hostages, both alive and deceased, would also be released.
Witkoff proposed the framework for extending the ceasefire after concluding that, at this stage, there was no possibility of bridging the gaps between the parties to end the war and that additional time was needed for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire. While Israel agreed to Witkoff’s plan with the aim of securing the release of the hostages, Hamas has so far remained firm in its refusal to accept the proposal.
The Hamas movement reaffirmed in a message addressed to the Arab Summit, held this week in Cairo, its commitment to completing the remaining phases of the ceasefire agreement while rejecting any foreign military presence in the Gaza Strip.
In the message, whose text was published, Hamas stated: “We affirm our commitment to completing the remaining phases of the ceasefire agreement, leading to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire, the full withdrawal of occupation forces from the Strip, reconstruction, and the lifting of the blockade.”
