by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Israeli government has agreed to a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan and Passover. However, Hamas rejected Israel’s terms for extending the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal, which would involve maintaining the ceasefire and releasing more hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees and terrorists.
A temporary ceasefire extension proposal from President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, includes the release of half of the hostages and the remains of deceased hostages still in Gaza. The remaining hostages would be released once a permanent ceasefire is established.
Witkoff stated, “There is no possibility of bridging the gaps between the parties’ positions to end the war and additional time is needed for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire,” as he sought to extend the ceasefire until Ramadan and Passover have concluded.
However, while the U.S. and Israel is seeking to extend the current first phase, Hamas considers this “a violation of the agreement.”
The second phase is intended to include the release of remaining hostages and steps toward a permanent end to the war, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip.
The first 42-day phase of the agreement officially expires on Saturday. Thirty-three Israeli hostages have been released, including eight deceased, along with five Thai nationals. Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have also been freed.
Despite Israel’s agreement to the U.S. proposal, an Israeli official told Ynet News that the country is “closer to resuming military action than to securing a cease-fire.” The official emphasized that no truce would proceed without further hostage being released.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
President Donald Trump abruptly reversed himself Sunday night, announcing that he now supports House Republicans voting to release the long-sought Epstein files—just days after blasting several GOP lawmakers for pushing the effort.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agree to take up a case that could have an effect on the 2026 midterm elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday issued his strongest public denunciation yet of extremist settler violence in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), promising “very forceful action” amid a sharp rise in attacks that has drawn concern from Israeli security officials, international partners, and Washington.
In the immediate aftermath of Democrats losing the budget showdown that plunged Washington into a weeks-long government shutdown, House Republicans say the Left is now scrambling for a distraction — reviving the long-dormant fight over the Jeffrey Epstein files in what GOP leaders call a transparently political maneuver to wound President Donald Trump.
Iranian authorities have begun large-scale cloud-seeding operations in a desperate bid to generate rainfall as the country confronts its most severe drought in decades, state media reported over the weekend.
President Donald Trump is expected to finalize a landmark agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that would allow Riyadh to acquire advanced U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets—part of a sweeping package of economic, defense, and normalization initiatives set to be unveiled at the White House this week.
In a historic and unprecedented step, Israel has begun pumping desalinated Mediterranean water into the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), marking the first time anywhere in the world that processed seawater is being used to replenish a natural freshwater lake. The initiative comes as the iconic biblical lake continues to suffer from years of drought, falling rainfall, and declining spring flow.