GAZA: According to a proposal reviewed by Reuters, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has offered the US and mediators a ceasefire plan for Gaza that calls for the freedom of 100 Palestinian inmates who are facing life sentences in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.
According to Hamas, the proposal calls for the release of 700–1000 Palestinian inmates in exchange for the first wave of Israeli hostages, which would include women, children, the old, and sick. Included is the release of Israeli “female recruits”.
According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a recent proposal for a Gaza truce made by Hamas to mediators was still predicated on “unrealistic demands.”
According to his office, the war cabinet and extended security cabinet will hear an update on the matter on Friday.
With a quarter of the population in the battered and beleaguered enclave of Gaza risking starvation due to a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, Egypt and Qatar have been attempting to reduce the gaps between Israel and Hamas about what a ceasefire might look like.
The demands made by Hamas, which include a permanent ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave, the return of the displaced people living in the enclave’s south to its centre and north, and unrestricted aid increases, are what have caused the ceasefire negotiations to break down over the past few weeks, according to Hamas.
A draft plan for a ceasefire was given to Hamas in February during the Gaza truce talks in Paris. It called for a 40-day suspension of all military activities and the 10:1 exchange of Palestinian detainees for Israeli prisoners.
Release of every prisoner
Rejecting the draft plan as well, Israel stated that it would not cease the conflict until it had annihilated Hamas. The resistance group maintains that the fight ought to conclude with an accord.
According to the most recent plan, Hamas stated that an Israeli departure from Gaza and a date for a permanent ceasefire will be decided upon following the initial exchange of prisoners and captives.
The group declared that the second phase of the plan will see the liberation of all prisoners from both sides.
According to health authorities, since the conflict began on October 7, over 31,000 Palestinians have died and over 71,500 have been wounded as a result of Israel’s ruthless air, sea, and land assault on Gaza.
Other regions of the unstable Middle East have seen the spread of the conflict. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have engaged in regular gunfire along the border.
To demonstrate their support for the Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, Houthis from Yemen have assaulted trade lines in and around the Red Sea, while armed organisations in Iraq that support Palestine have attacked US forces stationed there.
Hamas claimed late on Thursday that it has given mediators a detailed plan for a ceasefire that would end Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, provide relief and assistance, let displaced Gazans to return to their homes, and see Israeli forces leave the area.
As the conflict enters its sixth month, the UN has issued a warning that at least 576,000 Gaza residents face starvation, and international pressure is mounting on Israel to permit greater humanitarian access.
