Hamas has stipulated that the release of an Israeli prisoner with U.S. citizenship and the delivery of the bodies of four other hostages is contingent upon the opening of the Rafah Crossing, the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and an extension of the ceasefire for approximately two months.
The conditions were confirmed by a senior official from the Hamas on Saturday.
The official added that Hamas also required a direct transition to the negotiations of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which entails a permanent cessation of hostilities.
The Hamas's conditions have been conveyed to the Israeli side and are awaiting a response.
On Friday, Hamas announced that a negotiating delegation had headed for Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials and follow up according to developments in the negotiations and the ceasefire agreement.
A three-phase Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, took effect on Jan 19. However, negotiations for the second phase remain stalled after the initial 42-day phase expired on March 1.
Since March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, Israel has blocked aid and food shipments from entering Gaza.
Hamas specifies conditions for releasing US hostage, delivering hostage bodies
Hamas specifies conditions for releasing US hostage, delivering hostage bodies
Hamas specifies conditions for releasing US hostage, delivering hostage bodies
Hamas specifies conditions for releasing US hostage, delivering hostage bodies
China on Sunday made public a plan on special initiatives to increase consumption, as the world's second-largest economy moves to make domestic demand the main engine and anchor of economic growth.
The plan, issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, aims to vigorously boost consumption, stimulate domestic demand across the board, and increase spending power by raising earnings and reducing financial burdens.
It also aims to generate effective demand through high-quality supply, improve the consumption environment to strengthen consumer willingness to spend, and address prominent constraints on consumption.
The plan, organized into eight major sections, adopts a holistic approach by simultaneously addressing factors such as income growth, service consumption quality enhancement, big-ticket consumption upgrading, and consumption environment improvement.
The plan aims to promote reasonable wage growth by strengthening employment support in response to economic conditions and improving the minimum wage adjustment mechanisms. China will expand property income channels through measures to stabilize the stock market and develop more bond products suitable for individual investors.
"The most basic or core issue in promoting consumption is that ordinary people have the ability and dare to consume. The key to improving consumption capacity is to increase income," said Wang Wei, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council.
The plan calls for exploring ways to unlock the values of houses legally owned by farmers through rental arrangements, equity participation and cooperative models.
Notably, the plan emphasizes both traditional consumption sectors like housing and automobiles, alongside emerging categories such as artificial intelligence-powered products, low-altitude economy and silver tourism.
By connecting consumer spending to broader social goals like elderly care improvement, childcare support and work-life balance, the plan embeds consumption growth within China's wider development objectives, signaling that consumption is being positioned not just as an economic target but as a means to enhance quality of life.
Accordingly, China will consider establishing a childcare subsidy system. It will guide eligible regions to include individuals in flexible employment, rural migrant workers, and those in new forms of employment who are covered by the basic medical insurance for employees, in the country's childbirth insurance program.
Regarding elderly care, the country will in 2025 increase the fiscal subsidies for basic old-age benefits and basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents. Additionally, basic pension benefits for retirees will be appropriately raised.
The country will work to strictly implement the paid annual leave system -- ensuring that workers' rights to rest and vacation are legally protected. It will also prohibit the unlawful extension of working hours.
Financial institutions will be encouraged to increase the issuance of personal consumption loans, provided risks are controllable. They should reasonably set loan limits, terms and interest rates, according to the plan.
Zou Yunhan, a researcher with the State Information Center, said consumption is playing an increasingly important role in boosting economic growth, but that some challenges still remain in the quest to further unlock consumer potential.
"We need to see the specific difficulties in people's lives, which are important aspects that affect people's willingness to consume. The plan will further alleviate people's worries from various aspects such as childbirth, raising children, elderly care, and medical care, so that everyone can have a better quality of life, and then they will be more willing to consume," Zou said.
China will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products including autonomous driving, smart wearables, ultra-high-definition video, brain-computer interfaces, robotics and additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, to create new high-growth consumption sectors.
These measures reveal a geographically nuanced approach, with targeted policies for rural areas, regions rich in ice and snow resources, and urban centers -- allowing local authorities flexibility via implementation based on regional conditions.
Support will also be given to ice and snow resource-rich regions to help them develop into globally recognized winter tourism destinations. The plan also emphasizes developing inbound consumption by systematically expanding unilateral visa-free arrangements and optimizing regional visa-free entry policies.
"These new forms and models of consumption can better meet people's needs for consumption upgrades and better stimulate people's enthusiasm for consumption. They can not only provide new impetus for the current consumer market, but also strong support for the continued growth of subsequent consumer markets," Zou said.
China unveils plan on special initiatives to boost consumption
