Frankly Speaking: Will President Trump be able to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine?

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Updated 25 November 2024
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Frankly Speaking: Will President Trump be able to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine?

Frankly Speaking: Will President Trump be able to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine?
  • Middle East expert Norman Roule says Trump team members will be no different from Biden officials despite their pro-Israel rhetoric
  • Lauds clear position of Kingdom’s foreign minister on two-state solution, says Lebanon war has a simple solution with a difficult approach

DUBAI: After voting for Donald Trump in anger at the Biden administration’s perceived inaction on the Gaza war, many Arab Americans are now voicing concern as the victorious Republican candidate prepares to return to the White House with top team nominees vocal in their support for Israel.

Former senior US intelligence officer Norman Roule, however, says the incoming Trump administration’s policy in this regard will be largely similar to that of President Joe Biden’s. 

“It is certainly true that many of the Trump senior designees are openly pro-Israel, but their rhetoric as to what they would do to support Israel is no different than the Biden administration itself,” he said on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking.” 

He believes one positive thing to look forward to is that Trump would avoid embroiling the US, Israel, or the region in an endless conflict in the Gaza Strip.

“If there is a difference between the Biden approach and the Trump approach,” he said, “the Trump approach might be more of, to the Israeli government: Do what you feel is necessary, but do it efficiently, humanely, and quickly, we’re not looking to support Israel for an endless war there itself.”




The incoming Trump administration’s policy regarding the Gaza will be largely similar to that of President Joe Biden’s, former senior US intelligence officer Norman Roule tells Frankly Speaking host Katie Jensen. (AN photo)

Roule stressed that America must end the war and facilitate aid access for the Palestinians in Gaza, who have suffered for over a year from a deepening humanitarian crisis, while at the same time ensuring Israel’s security from Hamas militants. 

“First, we must provide humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people who have suffered tremendously, largely because of Hamas’ use of this population as human sacrifice, but we must bring in international aid and end the conflict,” he said.

“But at the same time, we must end the role of Hamas in threatening Israel. It’s not unfair that Israel seeks its security to prevent another repetition of Oct. 7.”

On that fateful day in 2023, Hamas-led Palestinian militants carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 240 others hostage. Israel retaliated by launching a widespread bombing campaign on Gaza, killing at least 44,000 Palestinians within 14 months, according to the local health authority.

Saudi Arabia has consistently condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has ruled out normalizing relations with Israel until a Palestinian state is established. 

Roule lauded the Saudi leadership’s consistency and clear stance on the Palestine issue.

“The Saudi foreign minister’s position has been consistent, it’s been clear, and it’s been directed to achieve what the entire Arab world seeks — a two-state solution that is fair to the Palestinian people, that allows security for Israel, and does not provide undue diplomatic recognition or other inducements to Israel before that diplomatic solution of the two-state relationship comes about,” he said. 

“So, I’m a big fan of Prince Faisal bin Farhan. His comments have been appropriate, and the comments of the Saudi leadership have also been quite clear,” he told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.” 

Roule spent 34 years with the CIA covering the Middle East. For nine of those years, he was the national intelligence manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.




Roule, a former senior US intelligence officer, believes Saudi-US relations will continue to thrive regardless of the administration in Washington and despite the temporary pause caused by the Gaza war. (AN photo)

 


Drawing on his background, he expressed skepticism about whether all parties would cooperate in reaching a two-state solution. “If that’s going to be difficult with the Israelis, you just have to imagine yourself right now: Is the president of the Palestinian Authority capable politically of bringing the Palestinians to a two-state solution? Will Hamas tolerate that?” he said.

“And, indeed, the question that we all should ask ourselves is, if two-state discussions began today, what would Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iran and the Houthis say about that? Would they support those talks? Would they try to upend those talks?” 

According to Roule, the “great unanswered question” is what the international community is doing to ensure that, if a two-state diplomatic approach is reached, it will be protected from “the malign actions of Iran and its proxies.”

Asked if parts of the much-talked-about Saudi-US deal could still move forward despite the Kingdom’s stance on not normalizing relations with Israel without the two-state solution being achieved, he said the two countries “have a separate relationship that needs to progress at the same time.

“And it’s been doing quite well in recent months,” he said. “Both the Biden administration in its remaining time and the (incoming) Trump administration will seek to implement the parts of the deal that are not related to Israel.”

Despite the temporary pause in a comprehensive strategic agreement owing to the Gaza conflict, he sees collaboration continuing in areas like AI, green energy and regional stability. 

“We have a massive technological cooperation that’s ongoing, particularly in artificial intelligence,” Roule said. “The issue of data centers is coming to the forefront of the relationship, but also, as the Biden administration was working on its strategic agreement with the Saudi government, the sense in Washington is the movement of that deal was quite positive and was only upended by the Gaza conflict.” 

Roule expects to see continued progress on elements of that deal, which “provides Saudi Arabia and the US with what they need to maintain and build what is a very positive and critical relationship for the US and for the region.” 

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Moving on to Lebanon, Roule said that to bring peace to the war-torn country, “there’s a simple solution with a difficult approach to get there.

“We need first to remove Lebanese Hezbollah north of the Litani (River) to empower the Lebanese armed forces to come south of the Litani and do their job — and be able to do so without fear of Lebanese Hezbollah,” he said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the first priority is to “end the conflict” and “end the suffering of the Lebanese people, end the suffering of the Israeli people.”

Pointing to the fact that “60,000 Israelis have left their home and prior to the Lebanese recent conflict, 100,000 Lebanese were not going into their homes, and now we have a million displaced Lebanese,” Roule said: “We’ve got to make that our first priority.”

Achieving peace in Lebanon, according to Roule, hinges on one key factor: “The Lebanese people must be willing to stand up against Lebanese Hezbollah.”

Elaborating on the point, he said: “This isn’t something that we’re going to be able to do. And I’ll close by saying that one bit of diplomatic guidance that in the intelligence community we often give to diplomats is: We can’t want a solution more than the people on the ground.

“The Lebanese people must appoint a president, empower their armed forces, push back on Lebanese Hezbollah.”

He is sure that once the Lebanese decide on the political solution, the US “will assist them and support them and provide them with billions of dollars of aid.

“But, at a certain point, the political solution must be their own.”

Asked about the outlook for the war in Lebanon, especially after Israeli official Michael Freund told the Jerusalem Post that southern Lebanon is actually “northern Israel,” Roule said “harsh rhetoric” is “coming from all sides — Lebanese Hezbollah, elements of the Israeli government, and Palestinians themselves — on all of these issues.”

President-elect Trump pledged throughout his campaign to quickly end the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Roule believes that Trump, who opposes “endless wars,” will pursue this goal by surrounding himself with people who share his worldview. 




In this photo taken on October 7, 2024, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a remembrance event in Miami, Florida, to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. (AFP/File photo)

“President Trump does see himself as a deal maker and he assigns to key positions around him individuals with the same worldview,” he said.

“So, you’re going to get individuals who are generally sympathetic toward Israel, confident of the strong US relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council states, willing to deter Iran, willing to do what it takes to keep the US out of regional conflicts, but willing also to push back on adversaries.”

While Trump does not want to see the US in a war in the Middle East or in Europe any more than President Biden, the two administrations’ approach to these issues in significantly different ways, according to Roule. 

“President Trump’s goal appears to be how do we bring some sort of agreement together that stops the killing and restores the diplomatic channels so that we can bring about peace in Europe,” he said.

He added that Trump’s goal in regard to Iran is “probably” similar.

“Iran needs to reduce its nuclear program, cease its regional adventurism, and act like a normal nation,” Roule said. “If Iran is willing to do this, as we’ve seen in the previous Trump administration, they will offer engagement. 

“But if not, in either of these cases, what you’re going to see is likely the Trump administration not unwilling to provide Ukraine with more weapons, because Russia won’t cooperate — and also to conduct significant pressure against Iran.”




US President-elect Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as they meet in Palm-Beach, Florida, on Nov. 22, 2024. Rutte held talks with US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida The duo talked about the "global security issues facing the alliance," a spokeswoman said. (NATO handout photo via AFP)

When asked whether Ukrainians and Europeans fear that Trump’s policies might prioritize Russia in a deal and pressure Kyiv, the EU, and NATO to accept it — much like the withdrawal from Afghanistan — Roule responded that the US approach would ultimately depend on whether the issue is deemed existential to its interests. 

“The Trump administration’s position is going to be: If this is an existential issue for Europe, then it must act accordingly. And there are some countries in Europe which still will not meet their NATO obligations,” he said.

“The Trump administration’s position is going to be, not unreasonably, if this is existential for us and we must participate accordingly, why isn’t it existential for you?”

Turning to Ukraine, Roule said this has been “a costly, bloody war” within the country. “They’ve lost many of their people to Russian aggression. This is a criminal invasion of another country,” he said.

“That said, if you’re interested in stopping the violence, at some point all wars come to a diplomatic solution. They may not be attractive, but that solution is needed.”
 

 


Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close

Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close
Updated 38 sec ago
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Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close

Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close
  • As per proposal, truce would cover Ramadan, due to end late March, and Passover, lasting through mid-April
  • According to Israel, truce extension would see half hostages still in Gaza released on the day deal comes into effect

Jerusalem: Israel said Sunday it endorsed a proposal to temporarily extend the truce in Gaza as a bridging measure after the first phase of its ceasefire with Hamas drew to a close.
The proposal, put forward by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would cover Ramadan, due to end late March, and Passover, lasting through mid-April, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office released just after midnight.
The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the weekend without any certainty as to the second phase, which is hoped to bring a more permanent end to the Gaza war.
Negotiations have so far been inconclusive, with the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the lives of more than two million Palestinians hanging in the balance.
According to the Israeli statement, the extension would see half of the hostages still in Gaza released on the day the deal comes into effect, with the rest to be released at the end if agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.
There was no immediate response from Hamas, which earlier rejected the idea of an extension.
Israel’s backing of what it described as a US plan comes amid a flurry of warnings not to restart the war, which after 15 months devastated Gaza, displaced almost the entire population of the coastal strip and sparked a hunger crisis.
United Nations head Antonio Guterres warned against a “catastrophic” return to war and said a “permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages are essential to preventing escalation and averting more devastating consequences for civilians.”
Meanwhile Washington announced late Saturday it was boosting its military aid to Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was using “emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance,” noting that a partial arms embargo imposed under former president Joe Biden had been reversed.
Israeli officials engaged in ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators in Cairo last week. But by early Saturday there was no sign of consensus as Muslims in Gaza marked the first day of Ramadan with colored lights brightening war-damaged neighborhoods.
A senior Hamas official told AFP the Palestinian militant group was prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single swap during the second phase.
“Hamas will not be happy to drag on phase one, but it doesn’t really have the capacity to force Israel to go on to phase two,” Max Rodenbeck, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

Hamas hostage video
Under the six-week ceasefire that took effect on January 19, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal, reached following months of gruelling negotiations, largely halted the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
While Hamas on several occasions reiterated its “readiness to engage in negotiations for its second phase,” Israel preferred to secure more hostage releases under an extension of the first phase.
A Palestinian source close to the talks told AFP that Israel had proposed to extend the first phase in successive one-week intervals with a view to conducting hostage-prisoner swaps each week, adding that Hamas had rejected the plan.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack, 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas’s armed wing released footage showing what appeared to be a group of Israeli hostages in Gaza, accompanied with the message: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive.”
AFP was unable to immediately verify the video, the latest that militants have released of Gaza captives.
Netanyahu’s office called it “cruel propaganda” but Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the Horn family, two of whose members appear in the video, had given permission for the footage of them to be published.
Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn was released on February 15 but his brother Eitan remains in captivity in Gaza.
“We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us,” the family said.

Netanyahu's coalition worries
Domestic political considerations are a factor in Netanyahu’s reluctance to begin the planned second stage.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the far-right faction in the governing coalition, has threatened to quit if the war is not resumed.
“The Israeli government could fall if we enter phase two,” said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence for risk management consultancy Le Beck International.
Israel has said it needs to retain troops in a strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border to stop arms smuggling by Hamas.
The Hamas attack that began the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, while the Israeli retaliation has killed 48,388 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, figures from both sides show.


In war-torn Sudan, a school offers a second chance at education

In war-torn Sudan, a school offers a second chance at education
Updated 58 min 20 sec ago
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In war-torn Sudan, a school offers a second chance at education

In war-torn Sudan, a school offers a second chance at education

Port Sudan: In a worn-down classroom in eastern Sudan, men and women watch attentively from a wood bench as a teacher scribbles Arabic letters on a faded blackboard.
Nodding approvingly in the corner is the school’s 63-year-old founder Amna Mohamed Ahmed, known to most as “Amna Oor,” which partly means lion in the Beja language of eastern Sudan.
She has spent the last three decades helping hundreds return to their education in Port Sudan, now the country’s de facto capital.
The educator, who wears an orange headscarf wrapped neatly around her head, said she started the project in 1995 because of widespread illiteracy in her community.
“That’s what pushed me to act. People wanted to learn — if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have kept coming,” she told AFP.
Ahmed’s classes offer a second chance to those who missed out on formal education, particularly women who were denied schooling due to cultural or financial barriers.
A fresh start
For 39-year-old Nisreen Babiker, going back to school has been a long-held dream.
She left school in 2001 after marrying and taking on the responsibility of raising her younger siblings following her father’s death.
“My siblings grew up and studied, and my children too,” she said.
“I felt the urge to return to school. Even after all these years, it feels like I’m starting fresh,” she told AFP.
Ahmed’s school has also become a haven for those displaced by Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted over 12 million, and driven swathes of the country into hunger and famine.
Maria Adam is among those who fled their homes after war broke out. She arrived in Port Sudan seeking safety and a better future.
“When I arrived in Port Sudan, I heard about this place and joined,” said the 28-year-old, noting that she dropped out of school when she was 11.
Changing lives
“I want to finish my education so I can help my children,” Adam told AFP.
Sudan’s education system has been shattered by the conflict, with the United Nations estimating that over 90 percent of the country’s 19 million school-age children now have no access to formal learning.
Across the nation, most classrooms have been converted into shelters for displaced families.
Even before the war, a 2022 Save the Children analysis ranked Sudan among the countries most at risk of educational collapse.
But the determination to learn remains strong at the Port Sudan school, where many students have gone on to enter high school and some have even graduated from university.
In one corner of the classroom, a mother joins her young son in a lesson, hoping to reshape both their futures.
“To watch someone go from not knowing how to read or write to graduating from university, getting a job, supporting their family — that is what keeps me going,” Ahmed said.
“They go from being seen as a burden to becoming productive, educated members of society,” she added.


US defense chief signs declaration to expedite delivery of $4 billion in military aid to Israel

US defense chief signs declaration to expedite delivery of $4 billion in military aid to Israel
Updated 02 March 2025
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US defense chief signs declaration to expedite delivery of $4 billion in military aid to Israel

US defense chief signs declaration to expedite delivery of $4 billion in military aid to Israel
  • Since January 20, the Trump administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major foreign military sales to Israel
  • On Friday, the US approved the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits and other weaponry to Israel

 

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday he had signed a declaration to expedite delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel.
The Trump administration, which took office on January 20, has approved nearly $12 billion in major foreign military sales to Israel, Rubio said in a statement, adding that it “will continue to use all available tools to fulfill America’s long-standing commitment to Israel’s security, including means to counter security threats.”
Rubio said he had used emergency authority to expedite the delivery of military assistance to Israel to its Middle East ally, now in a fragile ceasefire with Hamas militants in their war in Gaza.
The Pentagon said on Friday that the State Department had approved the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits and other weaponry to Israel.
The administration notified Congress of those prospective weapons sales on an emergency basis, sidestepping a long-standing practice of giving the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees the opportunity to review the sale and ask for more information before making a formal notification to Congress.
Friday’s announcements marked the second time in recent weeks that President Donald Trump’s administration has declared an emergency to quickly approve weapons sales to Israel. The Biden administration also used emergency authority to approve the sale of arms to Israel without congressional review.
On Monday, the Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era order requiring it to report potential violations of international law involving US-supplied weapons by allies, including Israel. It has also eliminated most US humanitarian foreign aid.
The January 19 Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement halted 15 months of fighting and paved the way for talks on ending the war, while leading to the release of 44 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
Hours after the first phase of the agreed ceasefire was set to expire, Israel said early on Sunday it would adopt a proposal by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the second phase of the deal meant to include releases of additional hostages and prisoners as well as steps toward a permanent end of the war.


Syrians begin fasting during first Ramadan without Assad family rule in decades

Syrians begin fasting during first Ramadan without Assad family rule in decades
Updated 02 March 2025
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Syrians begin fasting during first Ramadan without Assad family rule in decades

Syrians begin fasting during first Ramadan without Assad family rule in decades
  • Most countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Kuwait began observing Ramadan on Saturday, while a few other countries such as Malyasia and Japan, as well as some Shiite Muslims, will begin the fast on Sunday
  • Insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, or HTS, overthrew President Bashar Assad’s secular government in early December ending the 54-year Assad family dynasty

DAMASCUS, Syria: Some restaurants and coffee shops in Syria were closed during the day Saturday while others opened as usual as observant Muslims began fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, the first since the fall of Assad family rule in the war-torn country.
Syria’s interim Ministry of Religious Endowments reportedly called for all restaurants, coffee shops and street food stands be closed during the day and that people must not eat or drink in public or face punishment. Those who violate the rule could get up to three months in jail. However, it did not appear that any official order had been issued by the government to that effect.

People pray at Umayyad Mosque, on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Damascus, Syria, March 1, 2025. (REUTERS)

Associated Press journalists who toured Damascus on Saturday said some coffee shops were opened but had their windows closed to that people can’t see who is inside.
Insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, or HTS, overthrew President Bashar Assad’s secular government in early December ending the 54-year Assad family dynasty. Since then, Syria’s new Islamist government under former insurgent leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa, has been in control and many fear that the country could turn into an Daesh, although Al-Sharaa has so far promised to respect religious minorities.
Under Assad’s rule during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset, people were allowed to eat in public. This year, many people are abstaining from eating in public fearing reprisals.

A table is prepared for iftar, the fast-breaking meal, organized by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), on the first day of Ramadan in the Jobar neighborhood, which was devastated by the Syrian war, in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP)

“Ramadan this year comes with a new flavor. This is the Ramadan of victory and liberation,” said interim Minister of Religious Affairs Hussam Hajj-Hussein in a televised statement.
Most countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Kuwait began observing Ramadan on Saturday, while a few other countries such as Malyasia and Japan, as well as some Shiite Muslims, will begin the fast on Sunday.
In many parts of the region, the holy month this year is bittersweet. Lebanese this year mark Ramadan after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended with a US-brokered ceasefire that went into effect in late November.

Residents walk in the market on the first day of Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, in the old city of Damascus, Syria, Saturday March 1, 2025. (AP)

In the Gaza Strip, a fragile ceasefire deal, which has paused over 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, nears the end of its first phase, and many Palestinians ate their first iftar in the middle of the rubble where their houses used to be.
“This year, after the fall of the regime, there are many confirmations regarding the prohibition of publicly breaking the fast, with violators facing imprisonment,” said Damascus resident Munir Abdallah. “This is something new, good and respectable, meaning that the rituals of Ramadan should be fully observed in all their aspects.”
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons. The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.
The actual start date may vary among Muslim communities due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent has been sighted or different methodologies used to determine the start of the month.
The fast breaking meal is known as iftar and usually family members and friends gather at sunset to have the main meal. Muslims eat a pre-dawn meal, called “suhoor,” to hydrate and nurture their bodies ahead of the daily fast.
The holy month is also a time when Islamic and charitable organizations frequently provide meals for those unable to afford their own.
In the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Bashar al Mashhadani, imam of the Sheikh Abdulqadir al Gailani Mosque in Baghdad said the mosque was preparing to serve 1,000 free meals per day to people coming to break their fast.
Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important feasts.

 


Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close

Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close
Updated 02 March 2025
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Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close

Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close
  • Netanyahu’s office said Israel would immediately conduct negotiations on Witkoff’s plan if Hamas agreed to it

Jerusalem: Israel said Sunday it endorsed a proposal to temporarily extend the truce in Gaza as a bridging measure after the first phase of its ceasefire with Hamas drew to a close.
The proposal, put forward by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would cover Ramadan, due to end late March, and Passover, lasting through mid-April, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office released just after midnight.
The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the weekend without any certainty as to the second phase, which is hoped to bring a more permanent end to the Gaza war.
Negotiations have so far been inconclusive, with the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the lives of more than two million Palestinians hanging in the balance.
According to the Israeli statement, the extension would see half of the hostages still in Gaza released on the day the deal comes into effect, with the rest to be released at the end if agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.
There was no immediate response from Hamas, which earlier rejected the idea of an extension.
Israel’s backing of what it described as a US plan comes amid a flurry of warnings not to restart the war, which after 15 months devastated Gaza, displaced almost the entire population of the coastal strip and sparked a hunger crisis.
United Nations head Antonio Guterres warned against a “catastrophic” return to war and said a “permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages are essential to preventing escalation and averting more devastating consequences for civilians.”
Meanwhile Washington announced late Saturday it was boosting its military aid to Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was using “emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance,” noting that a partial arms embargo imposed under former president Joe Biden had been reversed.
Israeli officials engaged in ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators in Cairo last week. But by early Saturday there was no sign of consensus as Muslims in Gaza marked the first day of Ramadan with colored lights brightening war-damaged neighborhoods.
A senior Hamas official told AFP the Palestinian militant group was prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single swap during the second phase.
“Hamas will not be happy to drag on phase one, but it doesn’t really have the capacity to force Israel to go on to phase two,” Max Rodenbeck, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

Hamas hostage video
Under the six-week ceasefire that took effect on January 19, Gaza militants freed 25 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others to Israel, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal, reached following months of gruelling negotiations, largely halted the war that erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
While Hamas on several occasions reiterated its “readiness to engage in negotiations for its second phase,” Israel preferred to secure more hostage releases under an extension of the first phase.
A Palestinian source close to the talks told AFP that Israel had proposed to extend the first phase in successive one-week intervals with a view to conducting hostage-prisoner swaps each week, adding that Hamas had rejected the plan.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack, 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas’s armed wing released footage showing what appeared to be a group of Israeli hostages in Gaza, accompanied with the message: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive.”
AFP was unable to immediately verify the video, the latest that militants have released of Gaza captives.
Netanyahu’s office called it “cruel propaganda” but Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the Horn family, two of whose members appear in the video, had given permission for the footage of them to be published.
Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn was released on February 15 but his brother Eitan remains in captivity in Gaza.
“We demand from the decision-makers: Look Eitan in the eyes. Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us,” the family said.

Netanyahu's coalition worries
Domestic political considerations are a factor in Netanyahu’s reluctance to begin the planned second stage.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the far-right faction in the governing coalition, has threatened to quit if the war is not resumed.
“The Israeli government could fall if we enter phase two,” said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence for risk management consultancy Le Beck International.
Israel has said it needs to retain troops in a strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border to stop arms smuggling by Hamas.
The Hamas attack that began the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, while the Israeli retaliation has killed 48,388 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, figures from both sides show.
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