Gaza City, Gaza Strip — Hamas announced on Saturday its support for any ceasefire proposal that guarantees a permanent halt to hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Hamas emphasized that such a proposal must also end the suffering of the Palestinian people and include a significant prisoner exchange deal. A Hamas delegation traveled to Cairo at the invitation of Egypt to engage in discussions with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, aiming to reach an agreement to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza.
On the same day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, released a video featuring Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. In the video, Alexander expressed concern for his safety amid ongoing Israeli military operations and criticized the Israeli government for not securing his release.
Following the video’s release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that he had spoken with Alexander’s family, assuring them that intensive efforts were underway to secure the release of all hostages.
According to Hamas, it had informed mediators of its agreement to release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages on March 14. However, negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire remain stalled after the first six-week phase expired on March 1.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have resumed air strikes on Gaza since March 18. The renewed attacks have reportedly killed 1,563 Palestinians and injured 4,004 others, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it had fully encircled Rafah city in southern Gaza and intends to extend operational control over the area to conduct “counterterrorism” operations. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel would soon expand its operations to most of the Gaza Strip.
Before resuming air and ground assaults, Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2. The Hamas-run Gaza media office accused Israel of using water as “a weapon of war” to commit “a crime of slow mass killing” against Gaza residents.
The office claimed that Israel has destroyed more than 4,000 houses and facilities containing solar energy systems, vital for providing alternative electricity and operating medical equipment in hospitals, water wells, desalination plants, schools, bakeries, and other essential services.
Hamas called on the international community and UN organizations, particularly the Human Rights Council, to take immediate action to stop what it described as a “genocidal war” and ongoing aggression against civilians and vital facilities in Gaza.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) also raised alarms over the rapidly escalating humanitarian catastrophe. “All basic supplies are running out in Gaza. It means babies, children are going to bed hungry,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s director of communications.
