Hamas sends ceasefire proposal, details hostage and prisoner exchange
(Baonghean.vn) - Hamas has presented a ceasefire proposal in Gaza to mediators and the United States. According to the proposal seen by Reuters, the content includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences.
According to the proposal, Hamas said the first wave of Israeli hostages would include women, children, the elderly and sick hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The release of Israeli "female recruits" was also included in the proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on March 14 that a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza made by Hamas to mediators was still based on "unrealistic demands".
An update on the matter will be presented to the expanded war cabinet and security cabinet on March 15, his office said.
Egypt and Qatar are trying to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas over the shape of a ceasefire amid a deepening humanitarian crisis that has left a quarter of the population in the devastated Gaza Strip facing starvation.
Hamas said ceasefire talks have stalled in recent weeks as Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected their demands, which include a permanent ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the relocation of displaced people from the south of the enclave to central and northern areas, and an unlimited increase in aid.
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 10:1 exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages – the same ratio as the new ceasefire proposal.
Release all detainees
Israel also rejected that draft proposal, citing its long-standing goal of not ending the war until Hamas is defeated. Hamas has insisted that any agreement must end the war.
Under the latest proposal, Hamas said a date for a permanent ceasefire would be agreed after the first hostage and prisoner exchange and a deadline for Israel to withdraw from Gaza.
All detainees from both sides will be released in the second phase of the plan, the force said.
The conflict erupted from a Hamas-launched attack on southern Israeli towns on October 7, 2023, and according to Israeli statistics, 1,200 people were killed and 253 were taken hostage.
Since then, Israel's air, sea and ground attacks on Gaza have killed more than 31,000 people and injured more than 71,500, according to Gaza's health authority.
The conflict has spilled over into other already volatile parts of the Middle East. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah has regularly traded fire with Israel along the border.
Pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq have attacked US forces in the country and Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have attacked shipping lanes on and around the Red Sea to show their solidarity with Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
Late on March 14, Hamas said it had presented mediators with a comprehensive vision for a ceasefire based on stopping what it called Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, providing relief and aid, returning displaced Gazans to their homes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The Israel-Hamas war has entered its fifth month, with the United Nations warning that at least 576,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of famine as global pressure grows on Israel to provide greater access to aid.
