Israel has backed a US proposal to extend the ceasefire in Gaza through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday.
According to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has agreed to the proposal put forth by the US President Donald Trump’s representative in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Israel has confirmed its acceptance of the plan presented by Steve Witkoff, the US president’s envoy, for a temporary ceasefire during the period of Ramadan, which concludes in late March, and for Pesach, the eight-day Jewish Passover observance in mid-April.
The first phase of a ceasefire that took effect on January 19 expired on Saturday.
The next phase of the agreement was expected to facilitate the release of numerous hostages still being held in Gaza and establish a path towards a more lasting resolution to the conflict.
According to Netanyahu’s office, Witkoff tabled this temporary extension as a stopgap after concluding that Israel and Hamas were at a negotiating impasse and could not immediately agree on the terms of a permanent ceasefire.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage.
On the first day of Witkoff’s proposal, half of the hostages held in Gaza – both alive and dead – will be released, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s office said Israel accepted a proposal to extend the ceasefire in Gaza
It came from US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff
People hold Israeli flags as a convoy carrying the coffins of Shiri, 32, and her two children Kfir, 9 months old, and Ariel, 4, of the Bibas family, who were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz
It added that the remaining hostages will also be released after a permanent ceasefire was agreed.
Witkoff made the proposal to extend the current ceasefire after realising more time was needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem earlier on Saturday said the group rejected Israel’s ‘formulation’ of extending the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, but did not explicitly mention Witkoff’s plan.
Netanyahu’s office said Israel would immediately conduct negotiations on Witkoff’s plan if Hamas agreed to it.
‘According to the agreement, Israel can return to fighting after the 42nd day if it feels that the negotiations are ineffective,’ Netanyahu’s office also said, accusing Hamas of violating the deal.
Both sides have been trading accusations of violating the truce.
Two Palestinian officials familiar with the negotiation told Reuters that Israel refused to enter the second phase of the agreement or start negotiations about it.
Palestinians gather around a fire, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, February 26, 2025
The rubble of destroyed buildings is seen, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, February 26, 2025
Instead, Israel requested an extension of the first phase, conditioned on the handover of a number of alive prisoners and bodies for each week of extension.
Hamas, however, rejected and insisted on adhering to the agreement, entering the second phase, and obliging Israel to what was agreed upon.
On Saturday, Hamas’s armed wing posted a video showing Israeli hostages still in its custody in Gaza and stressed that the remaining hostages can only be freed through a swap deal as stated in the phased ceasefire agreement that began on January 19.
Talks about the ceasefire have been ongoing, most recently in Cairo, but have not led to an agreement.
