Israel supports US proposal to extend ceasefire’s first phase

The statement gives new details on what Israel described as a US proposal with a ceasefire extension through Passover, which ends April 20

A displaced Palestinian woman cooks in a sprawling tent camp adjacent to destroyed homes and buildings in Gaza City (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Israel’s government said early on Sunday that it supports a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza through Ramadan and Passover, although Hamas has insisted on negotiating the truce’s second phase instead.

The statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came minutes after the first phase ended, and as talks have begun on starting the second phase aimed at ending the war and seeing all remaining living hostages in Gaza returned home.