Gaza ceasefire agreement: Hamas agrees to resume negotiations with Israel

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Hamas responded “positively” to a proposal to resume negotiations with Israel on the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, Hamas said a delegation had received the proposal from mediators and agreed to release Israeli soldier Aidan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, along with the remains of four others with dual citizenship.

Hamas expressed its readiness to engage in talks to reach a comprehensive agreement on the second phase of the ceasefire, calling for assurances that “the occupation [Israel] would fully meet its commitments.”

Two Hamas officials told Reuters that their agreement was conditional on launching talks for the second phase of the ceasefire, reopening crossings, and lifting Israel’s blockade imposed two weeks ago.

“We are working with mediators for the agreement to succeed and to compel the occupation to conclude all phases of the agreement,” Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua, the Hamas spokesperson, told Reuters.

The first phase of the agreement ended on March 1, with Israel refusing to enter the second phase, which Hamas says would effectively end the war.

On March 2, Hamas rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval of US envoy Steve Weitekamp’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan and Passover, insisting on the full implementation of a previously agreed truce.