Israel approves US plan for temporary extension of Gaza ceasefire

CAIRO – 2 March 2025: Tel Aviv has approved a temporary extension of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza for additional six weeks, coinciding with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish Pesach holiday.

This announcement was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It came shortly after the first phase of the ceasefire, which halted over 15 months of Israeli war that devastated the enclave and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, expired at midnight on Saturday.

The plan, which is based on a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, includes the release of half of the captives held by Hamas, both alive and deceased, on the first day of the ceasefire.

The remaining captives will be freed contingent upon reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement, said Netanyahu’s office.

Hamas on Sunday slammed Israel's adoption of US proposals to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, saying they are based on arrangements that violate the ceasefire in Gaza.

The movement said the Israeli move constitutes “a blatant attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering negotiations for its second phase.”

Hamas has called for the immediate implementation of the second phase of the agreement, which aims to establish a permanent cessation of war, ensure a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and facilitate the release of dozens of captives still held in Gaza.

However, Israel has delayed any final agreement regarding the future of Gaza.

Netanyahu's office asserted that negotiations on the ceasefire extension will commence if Hamas’s stance changes.

Moreover, Netanyahu's office announced that aid entering Gaza would cease immediately as the first phase of the agreement expired.

Hamas said the aid halt represents a “cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant breach of the agreement."

The movement urged the mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to stop its "punitive and unethical measures against more than two million people in the Gaza Strip.”

The ceasefire took effect on 19 January after mediation by Egypt, Qatar and the US, halting a war that has extended for more than 15 months.

The extension of the initial phase of the ceasefire in Gaza comes while Israel is evading the implementation of the second phase, under which Israeli forces will fully withdraw from the enclave and the war will get a permanent end.

Thousands of Israeli protesters have gathered in Tel Aviv to demand the start of the second phase of the agreement to ensure the safe return of their family members captured by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

Hamas has stated it is prepared to release all remaining captives in one go in exchange for a permanent end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas already released 30 living captives taken from Israel, including Israeli civilians and soldiers, and Thai nationals.

Additionally, Hamas returned the bodies of eight Israeli captives it asserts were killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

Dozens of captives remain held by Hamas, with about half believed to still be alive.

In exchange, Israel has released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many detained during the war, along with others who were serving life sentences.

KEY TALLIES

The war in Gaza, one of the bloodiest of the century, saw Israeli forces killing more than 48,300 Palestinians, injuring more than 111,800 more and devastating the enclave.

The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, when Al Qassam fighters stormed Israeli cities near Gaza and captured 251 Israelis and other foreign nationals.

According to an AP tally, the total number of captives returned to Israel in exchanges or other deals stands at 147, including the eight bodies returned over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, around 27 of some 59 captives still held by Hamas are presumed to be alive.