JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militant group Hamas said Friday that it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual nationals who had died in captivity. The Israeli prime minister's office cast doubt on the offer, accusing Hamas of trying to manipulate talks underway in Qatar on the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Hamas, which rules over , didn't immediately specify when the release of soldier Edan Alexander and the four bodies would take place — or what it expected to get in return.
Alexander was 19 when he was abducted from his base on the border with Gaza in southern Israel during that sparked the war, which has been the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between Israel and Hamas.
It wasn't clear which mediators proposed what Hamas was discussing. Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. have been guiding negotiations, and none had confirmed making the suggestion as of Friday night.
U.S. officials, including envoy said Friday that they had presented a proposal Wednesday to extend the ceasefire a few more weeks as the sides negotiate a permanent truce. The officials said in a statement that Hamas was claiming flexibility in public while privately making “entirely impractical" demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel had "accepted the Witkoff outline and showed flexibility,†but that Hamas was refusing to do so.
“At the same time, it continues to use manipulation and psychological warfare — the reports about Hamas’ willingness to release American hostages are intended to sabotage the negotiations,†read a letter from the government to hostage families.
Israel's negotiators return home
It added that Israel’s negotiating team would return Friday from Qatar's capital, Doha. Netanyahu said that he plans to convene his ministerial team Saturday night to hear from the negotiators and decide on the next steps.
Hamas, meanwhile, sent a delegation to Cairo to discuss the ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian officials.
Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed Friday what he said was the group’s commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases. He warned that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one.
The White House last week that American officials had engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions†with Hamas, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not . That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu’s office.
The U.S. said Friday that under its proposal, Hamas would release Alexander and other living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. The militants were told that the proposal would have to be accepted soon, the U.S. statement said, adding that delay would not pay off for Hamas.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended two weeks ago, but the pause in fighting has held — if tensely — for now. The initial phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza and hundreds of trucks of aid entered daily until to the territory's 2 million people two weeks ago.
Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
Hostages' families press for ‘comprehensive deal’
The Hostage Families Forum, which represents most captives' families, said Friday it welcomed plans for any releases, but “without a comprehensive deal, we risk sealing the fate of all remaining hostages.â€
Israel has been urging Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for , and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. The supply cutoff came as Israel pressed the militants to agree. About 80% of Gaza's residents have lost access to food sources, and 90% can't access clean drinking water, according to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza.
Hamas wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would entail the release of the remaining hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace.
Muslims pray during restrictions at Al-Aqsa mosque
The developments came as Jews began celebrating the Purim holiday, and Muslims continued marking the holy month of Ramadan. Around 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed Friday at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, according to the Islamic Trust, which monitors the site. Israel is allowing only men over age 55 and women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory.
“The conditions are extremely difficult,†said Yousef Badreen, a Palestinian who left the southern West Bank city of Hebron at dawn to make it to Jerusalem. “We wish they will open it for good.â€
Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “religious war†against Palestinians, casting the Al-Aqsa restrictions as “systematic targeting of Muslim religious practices." The Israeli government didn't immediately respond.
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Associated Press writers David Rising in Bangkok, Jennifer Peltz in New York and Darlene Superville in Kissimmee, Florida, contributed to this report.
