The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced that Israel adopts-as the US had requested-“a high temporary fire during the period of Ramadan and Easter”, after this Saturday has come to an end the first phase of the high fire in the strip without any of the two parties having advanced to continue the cessation of hostilities.
“The first day of the frame, half of the living and dead hostages will be released and, once the same is completed, if an agreement is reached on a permanent fire, the remaining and dead hostages will be released,” he collects a statement released after a meeting chaired by Netanyahu, with the participation of the Minister of Defense and senior officials of the security system.
This decision comes after the special envoy of the White House for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, openly proposed last week the possibility of extending the first phase of the agreement, that is, continuing with exchanges without dealing with any other issue.
However, the same note-which “has the support of the Trump administration”-clarifies that this decision does not prevent Israel from “fighting again after these 42 days if you have the impression that negotiations have been ineffective.”
Thus, the Presidential Office has criticized the “repeated” violation of the agreement, as well as the “rejection” by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to the “Marco Witkoff” of hostage exchange and has asserted that a change in Hamas position will lead Israel to start “immediately negotiations about the general details” of it.
Indeed, this Saturday, Hamas has categorically rejected this possibility in understanding that it is a return to the starting point and a orchestrated dilatory tactic with Israel to maintain its presence in the enclave. His spokesman, Hazim Qasem, has also confirmed that right now there are no progress for a second part although international mediators have confirmed to Israeli media that negotiations, especially in Cairo, will continue until the last moment.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has made a call this Friday to Israel and Hamas to maintain the fire. “The next few days are crucial. The parties should not spare efforts to prevent this agreement from breaking. The utils to fulfill their commitments and apply them in full,” Guterres said from New York.
