Prime Minister's Office:
After a security discussion chaired by Prime Minister Netanyahu and with the participation of the Minister of Defense, senior defense officials, and the negotiating team, it was decided: Israel adopts the outline of the US President's envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire for the period of Ramadan and Passover. On the first day of the outline, half of the hostages, both alive and dead, will be released, and at the end - if an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire - the remaining hostages, both alive and dead, will be released. Witkoff proposed the outline for extending the ceasefire after he was impressed that at this stage there was no possibility of bridging the positions of the parties to end the war, and that additional time was needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire. While Hamas has repeatedly violated the agreement, Israel is not in violation. According to the agreement, Israel can return to fighting after the 42nd day if it is convinced that the negotiations are ineffective. This clause was supported by a side letter from the previous US administration and also received the support of the Trump administration. While Israel agreed to the Wittkoff plan with the aim of returning our abductees, Hamas has so far stuck to its refusal to accept this plan. If Hamas changes its position, Israel will immediately enter into negotiations on all the details of the Wittkoff plan.