Hamas agrees to release five hostages for Eid al-Fitr truce — report

Hamas has agreed to release five hostages in exchange for a ceasefire starting over the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan, Egyptian officials tell the Qatari New Arab news outlet.

“The ball is now in the Israeli government and Americans’ court,” the officials say.

According to the report, US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander would be released under the potential deal, with the United States and Qatar intensively involved in the proposal.

Eid al-Fitr begins on Sunday and ends on Wednesday.

Sources familiar with the negotiations earlier told Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar outlet that the Egyptian proposal includes “a temporary ceasefire lasting approximately 50 days, in exchange for the release of five Israeli [hostages] and a number of Palestinian prisoners, along with the activation of a mechanism for the entry of sufficient quantities of aid [into Gaza], including food, medical supplies, and basic necessities for civilian relief.”