ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Palestinian Hamas on Sunday insisted on the implementation of a second ceasefire phase after Israel endorsed a US proposal for a temporary extension of the initial phase.
"The only way to achieve stability in the region and the return of the prisoners is to complete the implementation of the agreement... starting with the implementation of the second phase,” Hamas said in a statement.
Hamas’s call came shortly after Israel said it had approved a US proposal to extend the ceasefire in Gaza through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday in mid-April.
"Israel adopts the plan of the US president's envoy Steve Witkoff for a temporary truce for the periods of Ramadan" due to end in late March "and Pesach," the eight-day Jewish Passover to be observed in mid-April, read a statement by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The first phase of a ceasefire that took effect on January 19 expired on Saturday.
A second phase of that deal was supposed to secure the release of dozens of hostages still in Gaza and pave the way for a more permanent end to the war.
According to Netanyahu's office, Witkoff suggested this temporary extension as a temporary solution, as Hamas and Israel were at a negotiating impasse and could not immediately agree on the terms of a permanent ceasefire.
The ceasefire that brought the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the October 7, 2023 attack to a stop despite its fragility, has so far led to the release of 25 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Phase one of the truce ended on Saturday. Phase two, which was to begin in early February, aims to establish a more permanent agreement and secure the release of the remaining hostages and prisoners.
Hamas has said it is ready to release "in one go" all the hostages numbering 59 remaining during the second phase.
Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of endangering the Gaza truce by delaying the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners, with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu justifying the delay by citing concerns over the "humiliating” release of the hostages.
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