Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US which includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, a proposal seen by Reuters showed.
Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly people and ill hostages in exchange for the release of 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, the proposal said. The release of Israeli “female recruits” is included.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday said that a new Gaza truce proposal presented by Hamas to mediators was still based on “unrealistic demands.”
Photo: AFP
His office said an update on the issue was to be presented yesterday to the war Cabinet and extended security Cabinet.
Egypt and Qatar have been trying to narrow differences between Israel and Hamas over what a ceasefire should look like, as a deepening humanitarian crisis has one quarter of the population in the battered Gaza Strip facing famine.
Hamas said ceasefire negotiations had faltered over the past few weeks due to Netanyahu’s rejection of its demands, which include a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from the strip, the return of the displaced in the south of the enclave to the center and the north, and stepping up aid without restrictions.
Last month, Hamas received a draft proposal from Gaza truce talks in Paris which included a 40-day pause in all military operations and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages at a ratio of 10 to one — a similar ratio to the new ceasefire proposal.
Israel also rejected that draft proposal, citing its long-held goal of not ending the war until it destroyed Hamas. Hamas insists an agreement should end the war.
According to the latest proposal, Hamas said a date for a permanent ceasefire would be agreed upon after the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners, as well as a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The group said all detainees from both sides would be released in a second stage of the plan.
Late on Thursday, Hamas said it presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce based on stopping what it calls Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced Gazans to their homes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
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