GAZA: The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has submitted a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US that includes the release of Israeli prisoners in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters.
Hamas said the initial Israeli release would include women, children, the elderly, and sick hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners, according to the proposal. It includes the release of Israeli “recruits”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday that the new Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted by Hamas to mediators is still based on “unrealistic demands”.
His office said an update on the matter would be presented to the War Cabinet and the Extended Security Cabinet on Friday.
Egypt and Qatar are trying to smooth over differences between Israel and Hamas over what a truce should look like, as a deepening humanitarian crisis has left a quarter of the population in the battered and besieged enclave of Gaza facing starvation.
Hamas said ceasefire talks had stalled in recent weeks due to Netanyahu’s rejection of its demands, which include a permanent ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, the return of those displaced in the south of the enclave to the center and north, and an increase in aid without limits.
In February, Hamas received a draft proposal from the Gaza ceasefire talks in Paris, which included a 40-day pause in all military operations and a 10-to-1 exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli prisoners – a ratio similar to the new ceasefire proposal.
Release of all detainees
Israel also rejected this proposal, citing its long-term goal of not ending the war until it destroys Hamas. The resistance group insists on an agreement that should end the war.
Under the latest proposal, Hamas said a date for a permanent ceasefire would be agreed upon after an initial prisoner and prisoner exchange, as well as a deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
The group said all detainees from both sides would be released in the second phase of the plan.
The conflict began on October 7, and since then Israel’s brutal air, sea, and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians and injured over 71,500, according to health authorities.
The conflict has spread to other parts of the volatile Middle East. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has frequently exchanged fire with Israel along the border.
Pro-Palestinian armed groups in Iraq attacked US forces in the country and Yemen’s Houthis attacked shipping lanes in and around the Red Sea to show their solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Late Thursday, Hamas said it had presented mediators with a comprehensive vision for a ceasefire based on halting Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, providing aid and assistance, returning displaced Gazans to their homes and withdrawing Israeli forces.
With the war now in its sixth month, the UN has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of starvation and global pressure is mounting on Israel to allow greater access for aid.
