Israel postpones responding to mediators’ ceasefire proposal to Saturday evening

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed responding to Hamas’ approval of the new ceasefire proposal by the mediators until Saturday evening.

“The Prime Minister will convene the ministerial team tomorrow evening for a detailed briefing from the negotiating team and to decide on steps to free the hostages and achieve all our war objectives,” said the prime minister’s office on the official X account.

The Israeli delegation in Doha is planned to return to Israel on Saturday evening, Haaretz newspaper reported from the prime minister’s office.

Early Friday, Palestinian group Hamas announced its approval of a ceasefire proposal by releasing an Israeli soldier with American citizenship and returning the bodies of four dual-national Israelis.

"The Hamas leadership delegation received a proposal from the mediators on Thursday to resume negotiations. The movement responded with responsibility and positivity, submitting its reply early Friday," the group said in a statement.

Hamas confirmed that its response included the “release of the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four others with dual nationalities."

The group reiterated its "full readiness to begin negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase," urging Israel to “fulfill its full commitments."

Netanyahu’s office said on X that “While Israel accepted the Witkoff framework, Hamas persists in its refusal and continues to wage psychological warfare against hostage families.”

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed a plan on Wednesday to extend the Gaza ceasefire by 50 days, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to Witkoff’s proposal, Hamas would be required to release five living hostages and the bodies of dead hostages.

The initial 42-day ceasefire phase of a three-phase ceasefire deal ended in early March, but Israel has resisted advancing to phase two, favoring extensions to secure additional releases of captives without meeting military or humanitarian obligations, a move seen as appeasing hardliners in Netanyahu’s government.

Hamas insists on enforcing the full agreement and pressed mediators to immediately launch phase two of the talks.

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January, has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.