JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militant group Hamas said Friday that it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual nationals who had died in captivity. The Israeli prime minister's office cast doubt on the offer, accusing Hamas of trying to manipulate talks underway in Qatar on the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Hamas, which rules over what remains of the Gaza Strip, didn't immediately specify when the release of soldier Edan Alexander and the four bodies would take place — or what it expected to get in return.
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An elderly Palestinian woman leaves after she was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An elderly Palestinian woman rests after she was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
A Palestinian man leaves after he was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian women sit under the shade before Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians take part in Friday prayers in the ruins of a Mosque that was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 14, 2025, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian women perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians take part in Friday prayers in the ruins of a Mosque that was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 14, 2025, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian women take a photo next to the the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The bodies of Palestinians killed during the Israel-Hamas war and were buried in a mass grave at Shifa Hospital yard are exhumed for identification and reburial in Gaza City's official cemeteries, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Alexander was 19 when he was abducted from his base on the border with Gaza in southern Israel during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that sparked the war, which has been the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between Israel and Hamas.
It wasn't clear which mediators proposed what Hamas was discussing. Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. have been guiding negotiations, and none had confirmed making the suggestion as of Friday night.
U.S. officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff, said Friday that they had presented a proposal Wednesday to extend the ceasefire a few more weeks as the sides negotiate a permanent truce. The officials said in a statement that Hamas was claiming flexibility in public while privately making “entirely impractical" demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel had "accepted the Witkoff outline and showed flexibility,” but that Hamas was refusing to do so.
“At the same time, it continues to use manipulation and psychological warfare — the reports about Hamas’ willingness to release American hostages are intended to sabotage the negotiations,” read a letter from the government to hostage families.
It added that Israel’s negotiating team would return Friday from Qatar's capital, Doha. Netanyahu said that he plans to convene his ministerial team Saturday night to hear from the negotiators and decide on the next steps.
Hamas, meanwhile, sent a delegation to Cairo to discuss the ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian officials.
Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed Friday what he said was the group’s commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases. He warned that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one.
The White House announced last week that American officials had engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the militant group. That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu’s office.
The U.S. said Friday that under its proposal, Hamas would release Alexander and other living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. The militants were told that the proposal would have to be accepted soon, the U.S. statement said, adding that delay would not pay off for Hamas.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended two weeks ago, but the pause in fighting has held — if tensely — for now. The initial phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza and hundreds of trucks of aid entered daily until Israel cut off supplies to the territory's 2 million people two weeks ago.
Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
The Hostage Families Forum, which represents most captives' families, said Friday it welcomed plans for any releases, but “without a comprehensive deal, we risk sealing the fate of all remaining hostages.”
Israel has been urging Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for an extension of the first phase, and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. The supply cutoff came as Israel pressed the militants to agree. About 80% of Gaza's residents have lost access to food sources, and 90% can't access clean drinking water, according to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza.
Hamas wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would entail the release of the remaining hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace.
The developments came as Jews began celebrating the Purim holiday, and Muslims continued marking the holy month of Ramadan. Around 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed Friday at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, according to the Islamic Trust, which monitors the site. Israel is allowing only men over age 55 and women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory.
“The conditions are extremely difficult,” said Yousef Badreen, a Palestinian who left the southern West Bank city of Hebron at dawn to make it to Jerusalem. “We wish they will open it for good.”
Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “religious war” against Palestinians, casting the Al-Aqsa restrictions as “systematic targeting of Muslim religious practices." The Israeli government didn't immediately respond.
Associated Press writers David Rising in Bangkok, Jennifer Peltz in New York and Darlene Superville in Kissimmee, Florida, contributed to this report.
An elderly Palestinian woman leaves after she was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An elderly Palestinian woman rests after she was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
A Palestinian man leaves after he was not allowed to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian women sit under the shade before Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians take part in Friday prayers in the ruins of a Mosque that was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 14, 2025, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian women perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians take part in Friday prayers in the ruins of a Mosque that was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 14, 2025, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, to participate in the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian women take a photo next to the the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The bodies of Palestinians killed during the Israel-Hamas war and were buried in a mass grave at Shifa Hospital yard are exhumed for identification and reburial in Gaza City's official cemeteries, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a call Tuesday to seek a limited ceasefire against energy and infrastructure targets in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the White House.
The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting. The White House said negotiations would “begin immediately” on those steps. It was not immediately clear whether Ukraine is on board with the phased ceasefire plan.
Here's the latest:
Roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department, but fewer than 21,000 workers who took a voluntary resignation plan are leaving in the coming months, a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday.
To reach the goal of a 5% to 8% cut in a civilian workforce of more than 900,000, the official said the department aims to slash about 6,000 positions a month by simply not replacing workers who routinely leave.
A key concern is that service members may then be tapped to fill those civilian jobs. But the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide personnel details, said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to ensure the cuts don’t hurt military readiness.
The cuts are part of the broader effort by the Department of Government Efficiency Service, including billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk, to slash the federal workforce and dismantle U.S. agencies.
▶ Read more about cuts at the Defense Department
— Lolita C. Baldor
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research office, which helps provide the scientific foundation for rules safeguarding human health and the environment.
The Office of Research and Development — EPA’s main science arm — currently has 1,540 positions. A majority of staff — ranging from 50% to 75% — “will not be retained,″ according to a memo reviewed by Democratic staff on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Remaining employees would be reassigned to other parts of the agency, the memo says.
Democrats and environmental groups assailed the planned action as a massive dismantling of the EPA’s longstanding mission to protect public health and the environment.
The planned layoffs were first reported by The New York Times.
▶ Read more about cuts at the EPA
The Kremlin said in its readout of the call with Trump that Putin noted a key condition for settling the conflict is a full halt to foreign military aid and intelligence assistance to Kyiv.
It said Putin had a positive response to Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days and gave relevant orders to the Russian military.
The Kremlin added that the Russian leader told Trump that Russia was ready to guarantee that Ukrainian soldiers blocked in Russia’s Kursk region will save their lives and be treated in line with international law if they surrender.
It said Putin also responded constructively to Trump’s proposal to ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea, and the two leaders agreed to start talks to discuss details of the agreement.
Trump and Putin agreed during their call Tuesday to seek a limited ceasefire against energy and infrastructure targets in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the White House.
The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting.
The White House said negotiations would “begin immediately” on those steps. It was not immediately clear whether Ukraine is on board with the phased ceasefire plan.
Putin also called on Trump to end foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine as the U.S. looks to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
▶ Read more about Trump’s call with Putin
“No one wants to fight more than me, no one fights more than me,” Schumer said in an interview on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday. “But you’ve got to fight smart.”
That’s several days after declining to answer a question about his support of the Senate Democratic leader.
The two New York lawmakers met Sunday after a public rift over a Republican spending bill last week. Jeffries said Tuesday that they had a “good conversation about the path forward.” Asked if he supports Schumer’s leadership, he said “yes, I do.”
Last week, after Schumer announced he would vote to move forward on the Republican spending bill, Jeffries declined to answer a similar question, responding instead, “next question.”
House Democrats vehemently opposed the bill and were willing to risk a government shutdown if it didn’t pass the Senate. Schumer argued that a shutdown would be worse than the Republican legislation as President Trump has overseen mass firings across the government.
Trump and Putin have concluded the more than hour-long call as the White House pushes its 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine aimed at ending the grinding war.
The White House and Kremlin did not offer any immediate details about the substance of the conversation, but both have confirmed the call has ended.
Trump said before the call that he expected to discuss with Putin land and power plants that have been seized during the three-year war.
▶ Read more about Trump’s call with Putin
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson refrained from commenting on Trump’s decision Tuesday but took the opportunity to criticize the outlets.
“I do not comment on U.S. domestic policy changes,” Mao Ning said when asked about it. “But as for the media you mentioned, their bad records in reporting on China are not a secret.”
The Trump’s administration put almost the entire staff of Voice of America on leave last weekend and ended grants to Radio Free Asia and other media with similar news programming.
Radio Free Asia has an extensive Chinese-language service and frequently reports on human rights issues, including the detention of activists and repression of ethnic groups in Xinjiang and Tibet. The government refutes allegations of abuse.
▶ Read more about Trump’s cuts to Voice of America
In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching federal judges shortly after Trump demanded the removal of the judge who ruled against his deportation plans.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a rare statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
In a Tuesday morning social media post, Trump described U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg as an unelected “troublemaker and agitator.” Boasberg recently issued an order blocking deportation flights under wartime authorities from an 18th century law that Trump invoked to carry out his plans.
▶ Read more about Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts
The Senate Finance Committee Chairman will hold the hearing to consider Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration on March 25.
The hearing comes as the agency institutes across-the-board cuts, which have prompted questions about the possible effects on benefits for tens of millions of recipients.
Among the changes at the agency are layoffs for more than 10% of the workforce and the closure of dozens of offices throughout the country. It’s all part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce.
The order applies to more than 100 teacher preparation and training programs the administration canceled in February.
The judge in Maryland issued the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the National Center for Teacher Residencies.
The administration cut $600 million in grants to teacher training programs, saying they ran afoul of its policies against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Grantees rejected the notion that their work was tied to DEI. Many programs used the money to hire teachers, to pay for college scholarships, and to address retention issues leading to staff shortages.
The White House says President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun a highly anticipated call as the U.S. administration looks to persuade the Russian leader to sign-off on a 30-day ceasefire proposal as a possible pathway to end the war.
Tuesday’s call comes after Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the American proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, remains skeptical that Putin is ready for peace as Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine.
Trump, before the call, said he expected to discuss with Putin land and power plants that have been seized during the grinding three-year war.
▶ Read more about Trump’s call with Putin
The Trump administration’s “great plan” to jumpstart a resurgence of manufacturing in the United States is simple, the vice president said.
“We’re going to cut your taxes, we’re going to slash regulations, we’re going to reduce the cost of energy so that you can build, build, build,” he said at a summit on American dynamism in Washington.
Vance said innovation will be a key component and there’s too much fear that artificial intelligence will replace jobs. He recalled early concerns that ATMs would replace bank tellers.
“People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way. And that’s not pleasant,” Trump said in a video posted to the White House account on the X social media platform.
He said his administration is repurposing a Customs and Border Protection app first launched under the Biden administration into one people can use to voluntarily leave the country and avoid being forcibly removed as he executes on his promise of mass deportations.
Trump said anyone leaving the country on their own could potentially return legally at a future date.
But if they don’t, he said “they will be found, they will be deported and they will never be admitted again to the United States ever, ever again.”
On Tuesday, the president called for the impeachment of a federal judge who has tried to stop deportations to El Salvador.
“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Republican president’s latest post aligns him more with allies like Elon Musk, who has made similar demands.
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “I have not heard the president talk about impeaching judges.”
Shortly after taking office, Trump directed his national intelligence director and attorney general to come up with a plan to release the sought-after records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The killing has spawned countless conspiracy theories.
Trump said Monday that some 80,000 files will be released, but it wasn’t clear how many of them are among the millions of JFK records that have already been made public.
He said his instructions to his staff were, “don’t redact.”
Trump has hung a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office, according to images he shared on social media.
The Republican president’s official account on X showed two images Monday of a framed copy of the historical document hanging on the wall not far from the president’s desk.
It was not immediately clear where the copy came from and when it was installed.
“The Nationals Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request. It is displayed in the Oval Office where it will be carefully protected and preserved,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The original version of the Declaration of Independence is very faded and displayed in the Archives’ building. On the version hanging in the White House, according to the images posted, the words are clear and legible.
The White House and National Archives did not respond to messages inquiring what version of the document was in the White House.
▶ Read more about Trump’s new Oval Office decor
Vice President JD Vance’s speech will focus on support for American industry and workers, according to his office.
The summit is taking place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. It used to be a Trump hotel when Trump was president the first time.
According to the White House press office, Trump plans to sign executive orders in the Oval Office at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The White House has also confirmed Trump and Russian President Vladamir Putin will hold a call to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine on Tuesday, which is expected to happen between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work.
The remaining three members of the group’s board — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin — fired President and CEO George Moose on Friday, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
An executive order that President Donald Trump signed last month targeted the organization, which was created by Congress over 40 years ago, and others for reductions.
Current USIP employees said staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency entered the building despite protests that the institute is not part of the executive branch. USIP called the police, whose vehicles were outside the building Monday evening.
▶ Read more about the gutting of USIP
District Judge James E. Boasberg was incredulous over the administration’s contentions that his verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed, that it couldn’t apply to flights that had left the U.S. and that the administration could not answer his questions about the deportations due to national security issues.
“That’s one heck of a stretch, I think,” Boasberg replied, noting that the administration knew as the planes were departing that he was about to decide whether to briefly halt deportations being made under a rarely used 18th century law invoked by Trump about an hour earlier.
Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli contended that only Boasberg’s short written order, issued about 45 minutes after he made the verbal demand, counted. It did not contain any demands to reverse planes, and Kambli added that it was too late to redirect two planes that had left the U.S. by that time.
▶ Read more about the Trump deportation flights
The leaders are scheduled to speak between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET, a spokesperson for Putin said.
The talks are part of Trump’s effort to push the two sides into ending the three-year conflict by getting Putin to agree to a U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted last week.
Zelenskyy said late Monday in his nightly video address that Putin is the one who is dragging out the war.
Trump said Washington and Moscow have begun discussing “dividing up certain assets” between Ukraine and Russia as part of the conflict-ending deal.
President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he visits the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump attends a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Pool via AP)
FILE - President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
