Israel expects that Hamas will agree to release more hostages as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement, according to two Israeli officials who spoke with The Jerusalem Post.
There is consideration being given to extending the first phase of the agreement beyond its 42-day limit. Such an extension would involve releasing four male hostages, all fathers, as well as others who are critically injured, in exchange for prolonging the ceasefire during Ramadan, as reported by an official.
Ramadan is anticipated to start on Friday evening. The current phase of the deal is set to end on March 1, after which Israel and Hamas would resume hostilities.
“Hamas, for now, wants the deal to continue,” the officials shared with the Post after a lengthy four-hour discussion on Saturday night. “It’s in their interests. They want more convoys and heavy equipment to enter Gaza, and they don’t want to be the side – at this point – that causes the deal to collapse.”
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East representative, Steve Witkoff, stated on Sunday that the US expects the second phase of the agreement to move forward.
Witkoff made these remarks during a CNN interview when asked about Israel’s decision to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners.
“We have to get an extension of phase one,” he explained. “I’ll be going to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that.”
In a later conversation with CBS News, Witkoff outlined that the second phase would entail bringing an end to the war and excluding Hamas from any future governance. He mentioned that the agreement had already been signed at the end of May. He further noted that all aspects of the deal were still up for discussion.
Witkoff confirmed that he would be in the Middle East for five days and would visit Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
In the same CBS interview, Witkoff also spoke about American hostage Edan Alexander, stating that the US government is in “frequent contact” with his family. He expressed confidence that the Trump administration would successfully secure Alexander’s release from captivity.
Since the beginning of phase one, 29 Israeli hostages, along with five Thai hostages, have been freed.
On Saturday night, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Israel would delay the release of Palestinian prisoners until more Israeli hostages are freed, citing Hamas’s repeated violations of the agreement.
Hamas responded on Sunday by criticizing Israel’s decision, calling Israel’s claim that the hostages’ handover ceremonies are “humiliating” a false excuse designed to avoid fulfilling its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Hamas declared, “We will not engage in talks with Israel until it releases the 600 Palestinian terrorists from prison.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Israeli officials should win the war and not let the enemy regroup. Their talk is cheap, very cheap.