Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem responded to Israel's acceptance of US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal for a temporary ceasefire during the Ramadan and Passover periods, saying that his organization would not release the Israeli hostages held in Gaza except in a prisoner exchange deal that would be the product of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Qassem claimed that "there is an agreement that has three stages and entering into negotiations on the second stage on the sixteenth day after the agreement began, and we are committed to that. Whoever is interested in releasing the Israeli hostages must force Israel to enter into negotiations on the second stage."

He added that "through its proposal to extend the first stage, Israel is trying to return the situation to zero and return its hostages without a commitment not to return to fighting."

Overnight, the Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli government has agreed to adopt a proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff for a temporary ceasefire during the months of Ramadan and Passover.

The decision was made during a special defense meeting headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, top defense officials, and the negotiating team.

As part of the agreement, half of the hostages - alive and dead - will return to Israel on the first day of the agreement and at the end of the period, if an agreement for a permanent ceasefire is reached, the rest of the hostages, living and dead, will return to Israel.

Witkoff proposed the plan due to an understanding that currently, there is no way to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas regarding the end of the war, and additional time is needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire.