US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Saturday (Mar 1), said that he signed a declaration to expedite around $4 billion in military assistance to Israel.

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"I have signed a declaration to use emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel," Rubio said in a short statement, while noting that a partial arms embargo imposed under former president Joe Biden had been reversed.

Israel backs plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase ends

Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday (Mar 2) said that it backed a proposal for a temporary extension of the Gaza truce, serving as a transitional measure after the initial phase of its ceasefire with Hamas came to an end.

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US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, proposed the temporary extension of the ceasefire which would cover Ramadan, ending late March, and Passover, lasting through mid-April, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The proposed extension, according to the Israeli statement, would involve a two-stage hostage release. Initially, half of the hostages currently held in Gaza would be freed on the effective date of the agreement. The remaining hostages would be released upon the successful negotiation of a permanent ceasefire.

Also read: Bibas family tells Netanyahu to ‘shut up’ as he describes murders of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir

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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".

Hamas releases video of hostages

Hamas, on Saturday (March 1), released a video showing multiple Israeli hostages in Gaza.

The video, published by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, showed three individuals with visible faces. Two of them seemed to be hostages who had been freed in February, while the third requested the Israeli government for his release. Additionally, the footage included two more individuals whose faces were blurred. A message accompanying the video read, "Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive."

WION has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office dismissed the video as propaganda.

"The Hamas terrorist organisation released another cruel propaganda video this evening, in which our hostages are forced to convey psychological warfare messages," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. 

(With inputs from agencies)