JERUSALEM — Hamas mentioned on Friday it has accepted a proposal from mediators to launch one dwelling American-Israeli hostage and the our bodies of 4 dual-nationals who had died in captivity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace forged doubt on the provide, accusing Hamas of attempting to govern talks underway in Qatar on the following stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
The militant group within the Gaza Strip didn’t instantly specify when the discharge of soldier Edan Alexander and the 4 our bodies would happen — or what it anticipated to get in return.
Alexander was 19 when he was kidnapped from his base on the border with Gaza in southern Israel through the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023 that sparked the struggle.
It was not clear which mediators had proposed the discharge to Hamas. America, led by the Trump administration’s hostage envoy Steve Witkoff, has been pushing for a proposal that might lengthen the truce and see a restricted variety of hostage for prisoner exchanges.
Following the Hamas assertion, Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned Israel had “accepted the Witkoff define and confirmed flexibility,” however mentioned that “Hamas is refusing and won’t budge from its positions.”
“On the identical time, it continues to make use of manipulation and psychological warfare — the reviews about Hamas’ willingness to launch American hostages are supposed to sabotage the negotiations,” the prime minister’s workplace mentioned.
It added that Netanyahu would convene his ministerial workforce on Saturday evening to obtain an in depth report from the negotiation workforce and “resolve on the following steps for the discharge of hostages.”
The primary section of the ceasefire ended two weeks in the past.
The White Home final week made a shock announcement, saying that American officers had engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officers, stepping away from a long-held U.S. coverage of not instantly participating with the militant group. That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu’s workplace.
It was not instantly clear whether or not these talks had been in any respect linked to Hamas’ Friday announcement in regards to the launch of the American hostage.
In a separate assertion, Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed what he mentioned was Hamas’ dedication to totally implementing the ceasefire settlement in all its phases, warning that any Israeli deviation from the phrases would return negotiations to sq. one.
The ceasefire has paused the deadliest and most damaging combating ever between Israel and Hamas. The primary section allowed the return of 25 dwelling hostages and the stays of eight others in change for the discharge of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, tons of of hundreds of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza for the primary time since early within the struggle, and tons of of vehicles of help entered per day till Israel suspended provides.
Israel has been urgent Hamas to launch half of the remaining hostages in return for an extension of the primary section, and a promise to barter an enduring truce. Hamas is believed to have 24 dwelling hostages and the our bodies of 35 others.
Two weeks in the past, Israel minimize off all provides to Gaza and its greater than 2 million folks because it pressed Hamas to agree. The militant group has mentioned that the transfer would have an effect on the remaining hostages as nicely.
Hamas desires to start out negotiations on the ceasefire’s harder second section, which might see the discharge of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and an enduring peace.
The militant group mentioned with help minimize off to Gaza, some 80% of the inhabitants has now misplaced entry to meals sources, with help distribution halted and markets operating out of provides, whereas 90% are unable to entry clear consuming water.
In Jerusalem, some 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed on Friday on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the second week of Ramadan, in keeping with the Islamic Belief, which displays the location. Israel is tightly controlling entry, permitting solely males over 55 and girls over 50 to enter from the occupied territory for the prayers.
“The situations are extraordinarily troublesome,” mentioned Yousef Badeen, a Palestinian who had left the southern West Financial institution metropolis of Hebron at daybreak to make it to Jerusalem, mentioned. “We want they may open it for good.”
Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “non secular struggle” towards Palestinians with what it known as the “systematic focusing on of Muslim non secular practices” by way of its restrictions at Al-Aqsa mosque.
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Related Press author David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
