Hamas agrees to release an American -American hostage in Gaza, awaiting talks at a permanent end of the war

Hamas said on Friday that it had agreed to liberate an Israeli -Israeli citizen if Israel begins a stage of ceasefire talks towards a permanent end of the war, but Israel rejected the offer as a “psychological war.”

The Palestinian militants group said that it had made an offer to release Aidan Alexander from New Jersey citizens, a 21 -year -old soldier in the Israeli army, and hand over the bodies of four dual national hostages, after receiving a proposal from the mediators for negotiations in the second stage of the ceasefire deal.

The group said that the exile President, Khalil Al -Hayya, was scheduled to arrive in Cairo later on Friday for more ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators.

Fighting in Gaza has stopped since January 19 under the ceasefire. However, when the first first stage ended on March 2, the two sides failed to agree on the beginning of the second stage, which led to the collapse of the talks and the beauty of the Israeli siege in the Gaza Strip.

Israel offered the extension of the first stage to April, a proposal supported by American envoy Steve Witkeov. But Hamas said that it would not only resume the hostages if the second stage began, during which Israel will request the discussion of the withdrawal of the forces and a permanent end of the war, which are great demands in Hamas.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Hamas’s offer to release Alexander “manipulation and psychological war.”

His office added: “While Israel accepted a suggestion and Witakouf, Hamas stands on its refusal and did not budge.” He said that he would meet with the Council of Ministers on Saturday night to discuss the hostage situation and take a decision on the following steps.

Earn for us a hostage of “maximum priority”

The American envoy reported at the White House early March that obtaining the release of Alexander was a “maximum priority”. The hostage negotiator in the United States met Adam Bouhler with Hamas leaders in recent days to search for Alexander.

Two Hamas officials told Reuters their approval to release the American -Israeli hostage, and the four bodies were conditional on the start of the talks in the second stage of the ceasefire, opened the crossings and raised the total siege imposed by Israel two weeks ago.

“We are working with mediators to succeed and force the occupation to conclude all stages of the agreement,” Hamas spokesman, Abdul Latif Al -Qanwa, told Reuters.

Qanoua said: “Hamas’s approval aims to release Edin Alexander to push it towards the conclusion of the stages of the agreement,” Qanoua said.

They confirm the fragility of the ceasefire, Gaza, the doctors said that four Palestinians were killed on Friday by an Israeli air strike in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

The Palestinian media said that the four men were collecting the firewood needed to cook in the absence of gas under the siege. The Israeli army said it had hit many militants trying to grow a bomb near its forces, but had not provided any evidence.

Israel prevented the entry of all trucks supplies to Gaza on March 2, where the confrontation escalated, as Hamas called on Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries to intervene.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt are trying to fill the differences between the Islamic Armed Group and Israel to restart the negotiations for the second stage in order to launch the remaining hostages in Gaza and lift the siege.

Hamas carried out a cross -border raid to southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to the Israelis.

Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip has since killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza, and reduced many lands to the rubble.