GAZA CITY, Palestine
Hamas announced late Friday that it had taken a “positive step” by expressing its intention to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who also holds American citizenship.
In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Anadolu: “We have taken a positive step by announcing our intention to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship.”
“This is not about new or side agreements, but rather about proceeding with the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in its various phases,” the spokesman said.
He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “rejecting any framework that could lead to finalizing the ceasefire deal due to fears of his government collapsing.”
Qassem called on the US administration to "work on pressuring the occupation to abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement in its various phases."
He added: "Threats and attempts to pressure the Palestinian negotiator will not yield positive results. We look forward to the release of all captives and to reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza."
Qassem also stated that Netanyahu is "starving the people of Gaza along with the Israeli captives and exploiting the hopes of hostage families to keep his government in power."
Earlier on Friday, a statement from the office of the US presidential envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the National Security Council, published by the White House, stated that "President (Donald) Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price."
On Wednesday evening in Doha, Qatar, Witkoff and National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Eric Trager presented a "bridge" proposal which would "allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire," it said.
Under the proposal, the statement said Hamas would release living hostages in exchange for prisoners in accordance with previous formulas.
The terms of the proposal suggest that it contradicts the core of the recent agreement and aligns with Israel’s desire to extend the first phase of the agreement rather than moving on to negotiations for the second phase as originally agreed.
On Thursday, Hamas announced the resumption of negotiations with mediators in Doha regarding a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian group on Friday said it approved the mediators proposal to resume negotiations.
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his response to Hamas' acceptance of the mediators' proposal and attempted to shift the blame back onto the movement, claiming that it "continues to engage in manipulation and psychological warfare."
The initial 42-day phase of a three-phase ceasefire deal ended in early March, but Israel has resisted advancing to phase two, favoring extensions to secure additional releases of captives without meeting military or humanitarian obligations.
Hamas insists on enforcing the full agreement and pressed mediators to immediately launch talks for phase two of the deal.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January, has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.