Hamas Says It’s Submitted New Cease-Fire Proposal to Mediators
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(Bloomberg) -- Hamas has proposed what it’s calling a “comprehensive” cease-fire deal, in a bid to move forward talks with Israel as their war in Gaza rages.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the militant group is still making unrealistic demands. But the country’s war cabinet is expected to discuss the matter on Friday.
Hamas is now proposing that Israeli women, children, elderly and ill hostages can be freed in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, Reuters reported.
The details were not published by Hamas when it released a statement on its telegram channel. That simply said its offer was based on “principles and foundations that it considers necessary for the agreement.”
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The US and other mediators including Qatar and Egypt hoped for a breakthrough before Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, which began on Sunday. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of stalling the talks.
In recent weeks, the parties had discussed a six-week pause in fighting, the freeing of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu’s office said he met with the family members of some hostages on Thursday and told them: “For the first time, we are seeing pressure from Qatar on Hamas.”
Qatar hosts many of Hamas’s political leaders.
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The war erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 250. Israel’s retaliatory offensive on Gaza has killed more than 31,000 people, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Around 100 hostages were released during the only truce so far, a week-long deal that ended on Dec. 1. It’s unclear how many of the remaining ones are alive.
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