Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office on Friday rejected a Hamas offer to release Edan Alexander, 21, in an effort to jump-start stalled ceasefire negotiations.
“While Israel accepted the Witkoff plan, Hamas persisted in its refusal and did not move a millimeter,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, referring to Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire.
“At the same time, [Hamas] continues to employ manipulation and psychological warfare,” the Prime Minister’s Office added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his ministerial team on Saturday night to review a detailed report from its negotiating team, and decide on the next steps in obtaining the release of the hostages from Gaza, the statement said.
Earlier on Friday, Hamas said in a press statement that in response to a proposal from mediators to resume negotiations, it had agreed to “release the Zionist soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four other dual nationals.”
It said it would make the release without ceremony. Hamas has been criticized by Israel and the U.S. for making propaganda spectacles of the prisoner releases.
Witkoff told press on March 6 that the U.S. wants Hamas to free Alexander as a show of goodwill.
Alexander, 20, from Tenafly, N.J., is the only one of five American hostages in Gaza believed to still be alive.
“Edan Alexander is very important to us—as all the hostages are—but Edan Alexander is an American, and he’s injured, so he’s a top priority for us,” Witkoff said.
“We feel that Hamas has not been forthright with us, and it’s time for them to be forthright with us,” Witkoff said. “Edan Alexander would be a very important show.”
Israel’s Channel 12 revealed on March 6 that former captives told Alexander’s family that he had been held in a tunnel for more than 500 days. He appeared severely malnourished and had been tortured and kept in chains for a long time, they said.
Alexander, who served in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, was kidnapped in uniform from a post near Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7, 2023.
He was scheduled to be released in the second phase of negotiations, which Hamas is eager to start as it would involve a permanent ceasefire in exchange for the remaining hostages.
According to the group’s Friday statement, it affirmed its “full readiness to start negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase, calling for the occupation to implement its obligations in full.”
Israel estimates 59 hostages are still in Gaza, of whom 35 are believed to be dead.
While Hamas insists on starting the second phase, and rejected Witkoff’s proposal, Israel has agreed to it.
The proposal would extend the ceasefire through the holidays of Ramadan and Passover. Ramadan runs until March 29, while Passover begins on April 12 and ends on April 19.
Israel is reportedly planning to resume its war against Hamas in the coming weeks. It has halted the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s government has also approved a call-up of up to 400,000 IDF reservists.
