JERUSALEM — Hamas announced on Friday that they have accepted a mediated proposal to release one living American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, and the remains of four other dual-national hostages who died while in captivity. This announcement coincides with ongoing discussions in Qatar aimed at facilitating the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
The specific timing of the release of Alexander, a soldier, and the recovery of the four bodies was not immediately disclosed by the militant group in Gaza. Confirmation from other parties involved in the agreement was also pending.
Alexander, 19 years old at the time, was captured from his base along the Gaza border in southern Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which initiated the ongoing conflict.
The identities of the negotiating parties remain unclear. The United States, through its hostage envoy Steve Witkoff, has been advocating for a proposal to extend the truce and implement a limited exchange of hostages for prisoners.
Following Hamas’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened security consultations with his top advisors, according to an anonymous Israeli official.
The initial phase of the ceasefire concluded two weeks prior.
The White House recently revealed that American officials have been in direct communication with Hamas officials, a departure from the U.S.’s longstanding policy. This announcement was met with a sharp response from Netanyahu’s office.
The connection between these talks and Hamas’s announcement regarding the American hostage remains uncertain.
In a separate statement, Hamas official Husam Badran reiterated the group’s dedication to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement, cautioning that any deviation by Israel would nullify the negotiations.
The ceasefire has brought a pause to the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas to date. The first phase resulted in the release of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others, in exchange for the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces have retreated to buffer zones within Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza for the first time since the start of the war. Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks entered daily until Israel halted the supplies.
Israel has been urging Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in exchange for an extension of the initial phase and a commitment to negotiate a lasting truce. Hamas is believed to hold 24 living hostages and the remains of 35 others.
Two weeks ago, Israel suspended all supplies to Gaza and its over 2 million residents, pressuring Hamas to agree. The militant group warned that this action would negatively impact the remaining hostages.
Hamas seeks to initiate negotiations on the more challenging second phase of the ceasefire, which includes the release of all remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the establishment of a lasting peace.
The militant group claims that, due to the supply cutoff, approximately 80% of Gaza’s population has lost access to food sources, with aid distribution suspended and markets running out of supplies, while 90% lack access to clean drinking water.
In Jerusalem, around 80,000 Muslim worshippers attended Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the second week of Ramadan, according to the Islamic Trust. Israel is implementing strict access controls, permitting only men over 55 and women over 50 from the occupied territories to enter for prayers.
“The conditions are extremely difficult,” stated Yousef Badeen, a Palestinian who traveled from Hebron in the southern West Bank to Jerusalem. “We hope they will open it permanently.”
Hamas has accused Israel of escalating a “religious war” against Palestinians through its restrictions at Al-Aqsa mosque, characterizing it as the “systematic targeting of Muslim religious practices.”
—Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
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