Israel agrees to Trump envoy’s temporary Gaza ceasefire extension proposal as first phase expires: reports
Israel has agreed to a temporary ceasefire extension proposal from President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for the period around the Muslim Ramadan and Jewish Passover, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Saturday night.
The news came as the first temporary ceasefire agreement expired at midnight local time.
Netanyahu’s office said the temporary ceasefire extension was agreed to after they realized more time was needed to figure out a permanent ceasefire solution.
Under the extension proposal, half of the hostages and the remains of dead hostages still in Gaza will be released, with the remaining released once a permanent ceasefire is established.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets with U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in Jerusalem. (Ma’ayan Toaf, GPO)
“According to the agreement, Israel can return to fighting after the 42nd day if it feels that the negotiations are ineffective,” Netanyahu’s office noted of the first temporary ceasefire’s phase one.
Hamas has “so far remained firm in its refusal of this framework” necessary for a permanent ceasefire, Israel said, according to the Jerusalem Post. Hamas has made similar accusations against Israel.
Emaciated Israeli hostages Ohad Ben Ami, left, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are taken by terrorists to a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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“Israel will immediately enter negotiations on all details of Witkoff’s framework,” if Hamas agrees, the Israeli government said.
If a new ceasefire deal is not agreed to, fighting is set to resume on Sunday.
Witkoff’s proposal said: “There is no possibility of bridging the gaps between the parties’ positions to end the war and that additional time is needed for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire,” the Post reported.
Hamas terrorists gather to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A total of 38 hostages were released during the 42-day ceasefire phase one that began in mid-January in return for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
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Reuters reported that Hamas posted a video Saturday that said hostages that remain in Gaza will only be released through another swap for Palestinian prisoners, which was part of the original phased ceasefire agreement framework.
Ongoing permanent ceasefire talks primarily held in Cairo have stalled.
Reuters contributed to this report.
