Israel demands Hamas release 11 hostages, including Edan Alexander, for cease-fire extension
Hamas members secure an area in a square before releasing four Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Gaza City on Jan. 25, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Israel has demanded that Hamas release 11 live hostages, including US citizen Edan Alexander, along with the remains of 16 captives, in exchange for a continuation of the cease-fire in Gaza, a Hamas official told Qatari state media Al Jazeera on Friday.
According to the report, Israel is offering to release 120 prisoners serving life sentences, 1,110 individuals arrested in Gaza during the war, and the remains of 160 prisoners from Gaza.
Israel previously accused Hamas of deviating from a U.S.-backed ceasefire extension plan after the group announced its intention to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.
