Hamas presents ceasefire proposal detailing exchange of hostages,
prisoners
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[March 15, 2024]
By Samia Nakhoul
DUBAI (Reuters) -Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to
mediators and the U.S. 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.
Qatari officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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 centre
of the enclave to move to the north, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said
on Friday.
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"We are talking about reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning a truce,
providing the biggest quantity of aid," he told Egypt's police academy.
Sisi also warned against the dangers of an Israeli incursion into Rafah,
on the border with Egypt.
POSSIBLE ASSAULT ON RAFAH
Five months into the war, Netanyahu's office said in February it had
ordered the military to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah and destroy
four Hamas battalions it says are deployed there.
A possible assault on Rafah, where most of the displaced have sought
shelter, prompted international concern for its dire consequences.
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 centre 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.
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Smoke rises during an Israeli ground operation in Khan Younis March
14, 2024. REUTERS/Bassam Masoud
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RELEASE OF ALL DETAINEES
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 Islamist 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.
The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli
towns on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken
hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel's air, sea and ground assault on Gaza has killed
more than 31,000 people and wounded over 71,500, according to Gaza
health authorities.
The conflict has spread to other parts of the already volatile
Middle East. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah has frequently
exchanged fire with Israel along the border.
Pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq have attacked U.S. forces in the
country and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked ships in and
around the Red Sea to show their solidarity with Palestinians in the
Gaza war.
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.
With the war now in its sixth month, the U.N. has warned that at
least 576,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and global
pressure has been growing on Israel to allow more access for aid.
(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul, writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing
Michael Georgy, Sharon Singleton and Alex Richardson)
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