Hamas Presents Ceasefire Proposal Detailing Prisoner Exchange
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US that includes the release of Israeli hostages 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 release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly and ill hostages in return for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to the proposal. The release of Israeli "female recruits" is included.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday a new Gaza truce proposal presented by Hamas to mediators was still based on "unrealistic demands".
His office said an update on the issue would be handed to the war cabinet and extended security cabinet on Friday.
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, Reuters reported.
Egypt is seeking to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, ramp up aid deliveries to the Strip and allow for displaced Palestinians in the south and center of the enclave to move to the north, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Friday.
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.
In February, Hamas received a draft proposal from Gaza truce talks in Paris that 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 had rejected in February a draft proposal for a truce from Hamas, citing its long-held goal of not ending the war until it has destroyed the resistance group that has run Gaza since 2006. 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.
At least 31,341 Palestinians have been killed and 73,134 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
