Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip: Hope for hostage rescue during Ramadan!

Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip: Hope for hostage rescue during Ramadan!

In a crucial step, Israel has agreed to extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip through the holy month of Ramadan and the upcoming Passover holiday. This was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which accepted the proposal of US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Ramadan ends March 29, followed by Passover, which begins April 20, according to reports from the Small newspaper emerges.

This proposal calls for half of the hostages remaining in Gaza — both alive and dead — to be released on the first day of the extended ceasefire. The remaining hostages should then be handed over as soon as a permanent ceasefire is achieved between the conflicting parties. While Netanyahu's office announced these conditions, Hamas' response to the offer remains unclear. According to a report by n-tv Hamas strongly rejects the present agreement, although a spokesman did not specifically address Witkoff's proposal. The situation now depends on the decisions of Hamas, which are currently still in negotiations after the first phase of the ceasefire that began on January 19th expired on Saturday.

Hostage negotiations and threatened escalation

In the first phase of the agreement, 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais were exchanged for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. After the 42nd day of the agreement at the latest, if the negotiations continue to stagnate, Israel could resort to military measures again. Netanyahu's office emphasizes that Witkoff sees the temporary extension as a much-needed stopgap solution as negotiations are deadlocked. At the moment it remains to be seen whether and how Hamas will react to the proposal and what further steps will follow.