TEL AVIV, March 2. /TASS/. Israel has accepted the proposal of US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan and Passover, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement, noting that the radical Hamas movement "has so far refused to accept this proposal."
"Israel has accepted the proposal presented by US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan and Passover. On the first day of this plan, half of the living and deceased hostages will be released, and the remaining hostages, living and deceased, will be released at the end, if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire," the statement said.
The Israeli PM's office noted that Witkoff "proposed a plan to extend the ceasefire due to the fact that it is not possible at this stage to bring the sides' positions closer together to end the war and additional time is needed for negotiations for a permanent ceasefire." The agency added that "If Hamas changes its position" and accepts the US special envoy’s proposal, "Israel will immediately enter negotiations on all the details of the Witkoff plan."
In mid-January, Egypt, Qatar and the US brokered an agreement between Israel and Hamas to declare a ceasefire in Gaza. The truce took effect on January 19. The first phase of the deal ends on March 1. Over 42 days, 33 hostages were returned to Israel from Gaza. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has begun on Friday evening since the new moon, with Saturday becoming the first day of fasting in most Middle Eastern countries. The Jewish holiday of Passover (Pesach) in 2025 is celebrated between April 12 and 19.
Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas "has repeatedly violated past agreements," while Israel "has not breached any terms." "According to the agreement, Israel can return to fighting after the 42nd day (March 2) if it feels that the negotiations are ineffective," it added, noting that "this provision was stipulated in an additional letter from the previous US administration and was endorsed by the [US President Donald] Trump administration".
According to the Israeli side's latest data, the radicals still hold 59 hostages in the Gaza Strip, including Maxim Kharkin, a Donbass native, whose close relatives have Russian citizenship.