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| Israel approves temporary extension of Gaza ceasefire | Israel approves temporary extension of Gaza ceasefire |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Israeli soldiers stand on a tank on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip. Photo: February 2025 | Israeli soldiers stand on a tank on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip. Photo: February 2025 |
| The Israeli government has approved a temporary extension of the Gaza ceasefire for the next six weeks, covering the Muslim Ramadan and Jewish Passover periods. | The Israeli government has approved a temporary extension of the Gaza ceasefire for the next six weeks, covering the Muslim Ramadan and Jewish Passover periods. |
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office made the announcement shortly after the first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire expired at midnight on Saturday. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office made the announcement shortly after the first phase of the previously agreed ceasefire expired at midnight on Saturday. |
| Netanyahu's office said that under a ceasefire proposal by US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, half of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza - both alive and dead - would be released on the first day. | Netanyahu's office said that under a ceasefire proposal by US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, half of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza - both alive and dead - would be released on the first day. |
| The remaining hostages would be freed "if an agreement on a permanent ceasefire is reached". | The remaining hostages would be freed "if an agreement on a permanent ceasefire is reached". |
| Hamas has not publicly commented on the latest Israeli move. | Hamas has not publicly commented on the latest Israeli move. |
| On Friday night, Hamas said it would not agree to any extension of phase one without guarantees from American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators that phase two would eventually take place. | |
| Who are Israeli hostages released and rescued from Gaza? | Who are Israeli hostages released and rescued from Gaza? |
| 'A long, long road ahead': Gaza rebuilds from zero | 'A long, long road ahead': Gaza rebuilds from zero |
| The Israeli government backed the ceasefire extension after a four-hour meeting called by Netanyahu. | The Israeli government backed the ceasefire extension after a four-hour meeting called by Netanyahu. |
| The prime minister's office claimed that Hamas "has so far refused" to back the Witkoff plan, adding that Israel would immediately start negotiations if the group changed its position. | The prime minister's office claimed that Hamas "has so far refused" to back the Witkoff plan, adding that Israel would immediately start negotiations if the group changed its position. |
| The US envoy's plan envisages that Israel could return to fighting after 42 days if it believed negotiations on a second phase had failed. | The US envoy's plan envisages that Israel could return to fighting after 42 days if it believed negotiations on a second phase had failed. |
| On Friday night, Hamas said it would not agree to any extension of phase one without guarantees from American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators that phase two would eventually take place. | On Friday night, Hamas said it would not agree to any extension of phase one without guarantees from American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators that phase two would eventually take place. |
| Hamas seems determined to remain a force in Gaza, even if it might be willing to hand over day-to-day governance to other Palestinian actors, including the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. | |
| Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to put their lives back together in the current, fragile peace | Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to put their lives back together in the current, fragile peace |
| The first phase of the ceasefire that came into force on 19 January expired on Saturday. | The first phase of the ceasefire that came into force on 19 January expired on Saturday. |
| It halted 15 months of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military, allowing the release of 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. | It halted 15 months of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military, allowing the release of 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. |
| But negotiations on phase two, including the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, have barely begun. | But negotiations on phase two, including the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, have barely begun. |
| There are believed to be 24 hostages alive, with another 39 presumed to be dead. | There are believed to be 24 hostages alive, with another 39 presumed to be dead. |
| Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage. | Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage. |
| Israel responded with an air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, during which at least 48,365 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. | Israel responded with an air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, during which at least 48,365 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. |