Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe US proposes a Gaza ceasefire extension, aiming to release hostages and prisoners, as Israeli military actions resume and casualties rise.
By Daphne Psaledakis and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday there was still a bridge proposal that would extend the ceasefire" in Gaza but the opportunity for it was "closing fast."
A State Department spokesperson said the proposal would also "see the release of five live hostages, including American Edan Alexander. It would also see the release of a substantial number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails."
"The opportunity is still there, but it's closing fast."
The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces have resumed ground operations in Gaza as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to local health workers. A day earlier, more than 400 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
This shattered nearly two months of relative calm since a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza.
The State Department spokesperson said the proposal was "compelling" and that Washington stood with Israel.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 49,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
The article discusses the US's bridge proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, including the release of hostages and prisoners amid escalating conflict.
The proposal includes extending the ceasefire and releasing hostages, including Americans, and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The conflict was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a significant military response from Israel.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
