Setting the record straight on Gaza ceasefire

Below is my response to "Urgent call for hostages' release amid Ramadan tensions" (published on 26 March 2025) which addresses several inaccuracies in this letter.

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First, the article implies that Hamas failed to release all hostages during the first phase of the ceasefire. This is factually incorrect.

The requirement to release all remaining hostages was not part of the conditions for Phase 1 of the Gaza ceasefire. The agreed-upon requirement for Phase 1 was the release of a specific number of hostages 33 in total and Hamas did, in fact, comply with this condition.

Discussions concerning the release of any remaining hostages formed part of subsequent negotiations (commonly referred to as Phase 2), whose terms were not finalized by 29 March 2025.