Hamas Says It Will Only Release US-Israeli Captive If ‘Israel’ Implements Ceasefire Deal

Hamas says it would only release an American-Israeli and the bodies of four other captives if the Israeli occupation implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, calling it an “exceptional deal” aimed at getting the truce back on track.

A senior Hamas official said long-delayed talks over the ceasefire’s second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days.

The Associated Press quoted the official as saying that ‘Israel’ would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Hamas would also demand the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks.

Edan Alexander, 21, an American-Israeli, was captured from his military base in the occupied territories during Hamas’s October 7 attack in 2023.

The White House said on Friday that it presented a “bridge proposal” to Hamas on Wednesday to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover to allow time to negotiate a permanent ceasefire. The White House said the bridge proposal “would have to be implemented soon — and that dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately,” the White House said in a statement.

Under the proposal, captives would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, ‘Israel’ would allow humanitarian assistance to flow into Gaza, and the US would work toward a durable solution to permanently end the conflict, according to the White House.

Source: Agencies