Axios reported on Thursday that Qatar has presented Hamas with a new US proposal to restore the ceasefire in Gaza by releasing Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander. In exchange for Alexander's release, US President Donald Trump will issue a statement calling for calm in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

Experts doubt that Hamas will agree to release Alexander in exchange for a statement from Trump alone. The movement, which has been engaged in a fierce war with Israel since October 7, 2023, may demand something more substantial in substance, especially since Israel has been abandoning its commitments to agreements with the movement without hesitation. Israel's abandonment of its commitments would quickly receive full support from the US administration.

It is noteworthy that Alexander is one of the remaining 59 hostages - 24 of whom are believed to be still alive, according to Israeli media, which relies on Israeli intelligence estimates.

Hamas had rejected a proposal by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, which sought to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. The movement insisted on adhering to the terms of the agreement signed on January 16 (which entered into force on January 19), which continued until Israel launched an unannounced attack with more than 100 warplanes at dawn on March 18, killing and wounding more than 1,100 people, most of them women and children.

The agreement was supposed to enter its second phase on March 2, which included the release of all remaining living detainees in exchange for a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition refused to end the war "until Hamas's military and governmental capabilities are dismantled, and therefore refused to enter the second phase," and instead pushed for an extension of the first phase of the temporary ceasefire.

Egypt later worked to persuade Hamas to accept a proposal largely similar to the one Witkoff proposed earlier this month, which included the release of five living prisoners in exchange for an extension of the phase until April 19, when the two sides would hold talks on the terms of a second phase of a permanent ceasefire.

Cairo has threatened to deport a group of Palestinian prisoners who have been stranded in Cairo since their release earlier this year as part of the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli media claimed that Hamas leaders abroad responded positively to the offer, but Hamas leader in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, rejected it.

Following this rejection, Witkoff held talks with Qatari mediators to reach a new proposal, which the US envoy presented to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer on Wednesday, according to the Axios news website.

The website said that previous US efforts to secure the release of American hostages were met with strong opposition from Dermer and Netanyahu, who felt it could lead to a more permanent ceasefire that would end the war before Hamas was removed from power.

According to the website, Hamas has yet to respond to the latest US proposal, but Qatari mediators informed the movement that compliance would create goodwill with Trump, increasing the likelihood that he would push Netanyahu to agree to a permanent ceasefire.

Arab sources reported that Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with a Hamas delegation in Doha on Thursday evening to discuss the latest US proposal.

Israel's response to the proposal is also unclear. Netanyahu held consultations with his security chiefs and senior advisors on Thursday to discuss the matter, an Israeli official told the website.

Netanyahu threatened on Wednesday to intensify Israel's military campaign in Gaza if Hamas did not begin releasing the hostages, saying the IDF would begin occupying additional parts of the Strip.

The prime minister insisted earlier this week that Israel was close to defeating Hamas - something he has been claiming for more than a year.

Experts believe that the resumption of the war (since March 18) puts the remaining hostages at risk and will not achieve what Israel failed to achieve during the first fifteen months of the war.

The website claimed that "America's Arab allies" instead offered to marginalize Hamas through a diplomatic initiative that would include gradually returning the Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza—something Netanyahu categorically rejected.