Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a meeting Saturday evening with the Israeli negotiating team for the ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks in the Gaza Strip. This follows a new US proposal to "bridge the gaps" between Hamas and Tel Aviv, allowing the ceasefire to be extended beyond Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday (mid-April). Meanwhile, the White House accused Hamas of making "unrealistic" demands.

Hamas announced on Friday its acceptance of a proposal presented by mediators in the Gaza negotiations, expressing its willingness to release Israeli soldier Idan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, and the bodies of four hostages with dual citizenship on Saturday.

"While Israel has accepted the framework of US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Hamas insists on rejecting it and continues to wage psychological warfare against the families of the prisoners," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

The statement added: "The Prime Minister will meet with the ministerial team on Saturday evening to hear a detailed briefing from the negotiating team and determine the steps necessary to free the prisoners and achieve all of our war goals."

The White House said in a statement on Friday that Witkoff and Eric Trager, the National Security Council's senior director for the Middle East and North Africa, explained that the proposed extension allows time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.

The White House stressed in the statement the need to implement the "narrowing the gaps" proposal soon, with the immediate release of the American-Israeli hostage, Idan Alexander. The statement explained that under the proposal, Hamas would release living detainees in exchange for prisoners, in accordance with previous formulas, and the ceasefire would be extended to allow for the resumption of significant humanitarian aid.

The US statement stated that "Hamas was clearly informed, through our Qatari and Egyptian partners, that this proposal must be implemented soon, and that US-Israeli citizen Idan Alexander must be released immediately."

He continued: "Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond publicly by claiming flexibility, while secretly continuing to make completely unrealistic demands unless a permanent ceasefire is reached. Hamas is betting that time is on its side – but it is not. It is well aware of the deadline, and it must realize that we will act accordingly if it passes."

Hamas's position

Hamas announced on Friday its acceptance of a proposal submitted by mediators in the Gaza negotiations, expressing its willingness to release Israeli soldier Idan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, and the bodies of four hostages with dual citizenship on Saturday.

An informed source within the movement explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that new criteria were agreed upon in exchange for the release of soldier Alexander and the four bodies, different from the first phase. He explained that "the new key is to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for any Israeli military captive."

He pointed out that the proposal calls for "extending the ceasefire for several weeks," noting that "after Hamas's approval, the ball remains in Israel's court to approve and resume implementation of the agreement." He emphasized that Hamas informed the mediators that this approval is a gesture of good faith and that it is ready to begin the second phase of negotiations immediately.

The movement affirmed its readiness to begin negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase, calling for Israel to fully implement its obligations.

Updated proposal

On Tuesday evening, Witkov held meetings with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha, as well as with the Israeli delegation, according to Axios, citing sources.

An informed source indicated that "the proposal calls on Hamas to release at least five living detainees and hand over the remains of approximately nine deceased detainees within the first day of the ceasefire."

The US proposal also includes Israel and Hamas beginning negotiations on a long-term truce in Gaza during the new ceasefire period.

Axios reported that Hamas is still holding 59 people in Gaza, while the Israeli military has confirmed the deaths of 35 detainees. Israeli intelligence believes that 22 detainees are still alive. Among the remaining detainees are five Americans, including 21-year-old Aidan Alexander, who is believed to be alive.

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which went into effect last January, includes three phases. The first phase ended on March 1. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister has refrained from initiating negotiations for the second phase, saying he agrees to the Witkoff plan, which calls for extending the truce until mid-April in exchange for the release of half of the detainees.