US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview with CNN that the ceasefire proposal presented by Hamas "is not a valid basis for negotiations."

The US official added, "The response we received from Hamas regarding extending the ceasefire in Gaza is completely unacceptable." He continued, "Our proposal includes the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, which would be a wonderful thing for their families."

According to Witkoff, the US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza includes the release of five live hostages, including an American citizen.

"I think there is an opportunity for Hamas, but it is fading quickly," he added, stressing the need for the movement to be "more rational than it has been" in its approach to the negotiations.

For its part, Hamas has once again demonstrated flexibility in negotiations by announcing its acceptance of the mediators' proposal to release Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals. This is intended to allow for the resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

After days of procrastination, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the negotiating team to prepare for the resumption of the Gaza negotiations, based on the mediators' response to the proposal of US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The office said in a statement that Netanyahu "held an in-depth discussion on Saturday evening on the issue of the kidnapped soldiers, with the participation of ministers, the negotiating team, and heads of the security establishment."