UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US presented a "bridge" proposal to extend the Gaza ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover, the White House said on Friday.
"President (Donald) Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price," the office of special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and the National Security Council said in a statement.
On Wednesday evening in Doha, Qatar, Witkoff and National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Eric Trager presented a "bridge" proposal which would "allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire," it said.
Under the proposal, the statement said Hamas would release living hostages in exchange for prisoners in accordance with previous formulas.
"Through our Qatari and Egyptian partners, Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this 'bridge' would have to be implemented soon — and that dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately," it added.
The initial 42-day ceasefire phase of a three-phase ceasefire deal ended in early March, but Israel has resisted advancing to phase two, favoring extensions to secure additional releases of captives without meeting military or humanitarian obligations, a move seen as appeasing hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Hamas insists on enforcing the full agreement and pressed mediators to immediately launch phase two of the talks.
"Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire," the White House statement said.
Hamas is making a "very bad bet" that time is on its side, it said.
"Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes," the statement added.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January, has halted Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.