Posted on 03/16/25
| News Source: JPost
Israel demanded that Hamas return 11 live hostages, including American hostage Edan Alexander, in exchange for a continuation of the Gaza ceasefire, The Prime Minister's Office announced late Saturday night.
An unidentified source told Qatari-owned news outlet Al Jazeera that the annex that Hamas submitted in response would amend the January 17 ceasefire and would not begin the second phase of negotiations.
The annex that Hamas submitted reportedly included a number of demands, including a complete Israeli withdrawal from Philadelphi; continued rehabilitation efforts for Gazan infrastructure in areas including communications, electricity, water, sanitation, and roads; more humanitarian aid to the enclave, including the continued operation of UN agencies; and a pause on all military activities in the Gaza Strip.
The report also stated that Israel demanded 16 hostage bodies as part of its demands.
The source said that Hamas had linked its agreement to extend the ceasefire with the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander alongside the bodies of four other dual-national hostages. After Alexander and the unidentified hostages' remains were given back, Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners yet to be wholly agreed upon.