According to the Times of Israel, Israel has said it will temporarily not take action immediately, and supported a proposal by US Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the ceasefire until mid-April. However, Hamas has rejected the plan, raising the risk of a new conflict.
According to the plan announced by Israel, the ceasefire agreement lasting through the month of Ramadan and the Passing Festival will create conditions for the remaining hostages to be released in two phases.
Half of the hostages, including those who died, will be released and taken back to their homeland immediately. The remaining half will be released when a permanent ceasefire agreement is reached. Currently, the armed forces in Gaza are still holding 59 hostages, of which at least 35 were confirmed dead.
Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, while Israel said it fully complied. Previously, in the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli hostages, including eight who died, were exchanged with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
However, negotiations on the next phase have not made progress due to tough stance from both sides. Hamas has asked Israel to withdraw all its forces from Gaza and end the conflict, while Israel has not agreed to the condition.
Although there has been no official decision, Israel said that if Hamas does not change its stance, it can continue the conflict. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been deployed and has conducted drills in preparation for the possibility of a troop redeployment into Gaza.
The IDF has been training to quickly return to areas where it had previously retreated to under the Channel 12 agreement, including the Netzarim Corridor. In addition, two IDF divisions are deployed in the buffer zone along the Gaza border, including the Philadelphia Corridor.
One of the biggest points of the conflict between the two sides is that Israel has not fulfilled its commitment to withdraw troops from the Philadelphia Corridor as required by the ceasefire agreement. Israel believes that this border area is Hamas' main arms smuggling route and that if it were not controlled by the IDF, the armed forces in Gaza would be reinforced to continue fighting. Hamas and Egypt both opposed the presence of the Israeli army there.
Currently, Israel is still waiting for a response from Hamas before making a final decision. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit the region this week to continue negotiations. However, if the situation does not progress, the risk of war continuing to break out is very high.
