CAIRO, March 14. /TASS/. Hamas said it told mediators that it is ready to release a hostage that has a US passport and hand over the bodies of four captives who had dual citizenship.
"This morning, Hamas gave the mediators its response to the proposal they made on Thursday. We agree to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who also holds American citizenship, and hand over the bodies of four hostages who held dual citizenship," the group said on Telegram.
It didn’t indicate when the living hostage or the bodies could be released. Hamas also did not say whether it is demanding a release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of its move.
"Hamas reaffirms its full readiness to start negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire deal and reach an agreement on the issue," the group said, adding that it is calling on Israel to meet all its commitments.
On March 12, Israel and Hamas started in Doha a new round of indirect talks that are being mediated by Qatar and attended by US officials.
On January 15, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages from the enclave. The agreement, consisting of three stages, came into force on January 19. The first phase expired on March 1. All 33 Israeli hostages who were supposed to be freed as part of the agreement’s first stage, as well as the bodies, were returned home. In exchange, Israel released over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, with some of them sent outside of Palestinian territories.