Hamas said on Saturday it will release the last living American hostage only if Israel implements the existing cease-fire agreement in Gaza, adding the “ball is in Israel’s court” to act on the offer.
The statement comes one day after Hamas said it agreed to release Edan Alexander, 21, and the bodies of four deceased Israeli-American hostages following discussions with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to extend the cease-fire. Israel and the U.S., however, disputed that claim.
Rejecting the offer, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of “manipulation and psychological warfare” by refusing to accept a “bridge proposal” made by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy. The proposal asks for the release of five living hostages and nine dead captives in exchange for extending the cease-fire through Ramadan and Passover, which ends on April 20. Israel accepted the proposal.
The White House similarly said that Hamas’s offer was disingenuous.
“Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire,” Witkoff told reporters on Friday.
Hamas wants Israel to withdraw its forces from a strategic border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and to stop blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza since the cease-fire’s first phase ended March 1. Talks for the next phase, the terms of which have yet to be agreed on, have been delayed for the past two weeks.
The terror group also demands the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages. Hamas says the second phase of talks should begin on the day of the simultaneous releases and should last for 50 days.
After the first phase ended earlier this month, Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas, warning there would be “hell to pay” if it didn’t release the hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages in Gaza; two dozen of them are believed to be alive.
“Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In response to the threat, Hamas doubled down on its refusal to free the remaining hostages until a deal is struck on the cease-fire’s second phase.
Witkoff reiterated Trump’s ultimatum, saying the U.S. “will respond accordingly if that deadline passes.” Last month, the president threatened that “all hell” will break loose if the hostages are not returned home. That previous deadline has passed. Trump described the latest threat as the “last warning” for Hamas.
Alexander, a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 civilians were killed and some 250 people were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip. Israel then led a multifront war against Hamas and other Iran-backed terror proxies, including Hezbollah. The war is now at a standstill pending the cease-fire talks.
In the first phase, Hamas released 33 hostages — 25 living and eight dead — in exchange for roughly 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in six weeks. Days before Trump took office in January, the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar brokered the initial phase of the deal to halt the fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu is expected to convene his ministerial team on Saturday after Shabbat ends to discuss the hostage situation. After receiving a report from the Israeli negotiating team, he will decide on the next courses of action.