Tel Aviv, MINA – Israel said Sunday it had agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan and Passover, following a proposal from US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, hours after the first phase of the ceasefire ended, Anadolu Agency reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that half of the hostages in Gaza, both dead and alive, would be released, and the remaining prisoners would be freed after a permanent ceasefire is reached.
It said that Witkoff proposed extending the ceasefire after determining that more time was needed for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.
The statement said that the plan gives Israel the right to resume the war after 42 days if talks do not progress, and claimed that Israel has received a proposal to release prisoners but Hamas has not accepted it.
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The statement stressed that if Hamas changes its position and accepts the plan proposed by Witkoff, Israel will immediately begin negotiations on the details of the second phase.
Hamas, mediators Egypt and Qatar, and Witkoff have not commented on the Israeli statement. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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