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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier on Sunday that it supported what it described as a proposal from Trump’s Middle East envoy,Steve Witkoff,to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover,which end on April 20.

Under that proposal,Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the rest if an agreement were reached on a permanent ceasefire,according to Netanyahu’s office.

There was no immediate comment from the United States,Egypt or Qatar,which have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for over a year.

Under the first,six-week phase of the ceasefire,Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces pulled back from most of Gaza and Israel allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter.

But the first phase was marred by repeated disputes,with each side accusing the other of violations. Israeli strikes killed dozens of Palestinians who the military said had approached its forces or entered certain areas in violation of the truce.

Hamas said Israel’s aid suspension was another violation,saying deliveries were supposed to continue as the sides negotiated over the second phase of the deal.

Israel says it will enter negotiations on details of a plan put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff (left) if Hamas changes its position.Credit:AP

Israel imposed a complete siege on Gaza in the opening days of the war and only eased it later under US pressure. United Nations agencies and aid groups accused Israel of not facilitating enough aid during 15 months of war,and the Biden administration repeatedly pressed it to do more.

Israel said it allowed enough aid to enter and blamed shortages on what it said was the UN’s inability to distribute it. It also accused Hamas of siphoning off aid.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7,2023,killing some 1200 people and taking 251 hostages. The militants are currently holding 59 hostages,32 of whom are believed to be dead,after releasing most of the rest in ceasefire agreements.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians,according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israeli bombardment and ground operations pounded large areas of the strip to rubble and at the height of the conflict displaced some 90 per cent of the population of 2.3 million. The war has left most of the population dependent on international aid for food and other essentials,with hundreds of thousands crammed into tent camps and schools-turned-shelters.

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