Netanyahu: Israel is Fully Coordinated with the U.S. for Ceasefire Extension

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, announced that Israel is in "full coordination" with Donald Trump, the President of the United States, regarding the extension of the first 50-day ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas. On Sunday, March 3, Netanyahu stated at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting that Israel is in "full coordination" with "Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and his staff" concerning the proposal by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs, to extend the ceasefire. According to the Israeli newspaper 'Times of Israel', Netanyahu said that Witkoff made the proposal for extending the first phase of the ceasefire after no way was found to bridge the positions of Israel and Hamas for a second ceasefire. The Israeli Prime Minister noted that Witkoff described this proposal as a "corridor for second phase negotiations," and Israel has expressed its readiness in this regard. Netanyahu's office announced last night that it accepted Witkoff's proposal to extend the ceasefire until Passover and Ramadan, along with the potential continued release of all hostages during this period. Netanyahu stated that if Hamas agrees to extend the ceasefire, Israel will immediately enter into negotiations. He also warned against Hamas's potential assumption that it could continue the ceasefire without releasing the hostages, calling it a "very mistaken" notion. According to official Israeli statistics, armed groups in the Gaza Strip still hold 59 hostages, consisting of at least 35 dead and 24 alive. He threatened that if negotiations are "fruitless," Israel would be permitted to resume the war in Gaza. After Hamas rejected the U.S. proposal for extending the ceasefire, Israel announced that it would stop the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip starting today. Netanyahu stated that Hamas, controlling all goods and food supplies sent to the Gaza Strip, has misused humanitarian aid against the people of Gaza and has used it as a terrorist budget against Israel. Rubio expedited the delivery of four billion in military aid from the U.S. to Israel. Israel's response to Hamas's opposition to extending the ceasefire includes halting the entry of goods. The dispute between Israel and Hamas over the extension of the ceasefire has left the fate of the second phase uncertain. Israel supported the U.S. plan for extending the ceasefire, while Hamas did not.