Hamas is set to release five hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, in a renewed ceasefire offered by Egypt.
The terror group has agreed to release five hostages, abducted during its October 7, 2023, attack, in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire spanning the Eid al-Fitr holiday and continuing through Passover, officials told Israeli and Arab news outlets on Saturday.
Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, begins on Saturday night and ends Wednesday.
Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya, during a televised statement, confirmed the group’s “positive” response and subsequent acceptance of the proposal, CNN reported.
Al-Hayya stated that Hamas has “fully abided” by the initial ceasefire agreement’s terms and expressed hope that Israel “does not obstruct this proposal.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that Israel has submitted a counter-proposal to the Egyptian offer.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a series of consultations yesterday, following a proposal received from the mediators. In recent hours, Israel transferred its counter proposal to the mediators, in full coordination with the United States,” the office stated.
The details of the the counteroffer were unclear but the Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the country is insisting on agreeing with the terms of a deal brokered by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, which calls for 10 to 12 hostages to be released alive.
Israel recommenced attacks in Gaza and implemented a complete humanitarian aid blockade earlier this month, stating its forces will maintain permanent presence in certain Gaza areas until the release of the remaining 24 hostages believed to be alive.
Gaza health authorities report that since Israel’s military campaign began following Hamas’s deadly terror attacks on October 7, 2023, at least 50,277 Palestinians have lost their lives and 114,095 have sustained injuries.
