Hamas issues ceasefire proposal detailing exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners

Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US which includes the release of Israeli captives in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, according to a plan seen by Reuters.

Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly, and ill hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1000 Palestinian prisoners, according to the proposal. The release of Israeli female soldiers 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 will be presented 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.

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 which 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.

Release of all detainees

Israel rejected that draft proposal, citing its long-held goal of not ending the war until it destroyed Hamas. 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.

Israel launched its air, ground and sea assault on Gaza on 7 October. 

For years, #Ramadan has been used as a political tool in Western states to pay only lip service to their Muslim constituents and citizens, and we have fallen for it, writes @hebh_jamal

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Since then it 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 Middle East. Lebanon's Hezbollah group, a Hamas ally and part of Iran's axis of resistance, has frequently exchanged fire with Israel along the border.

Pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq have attacked US forces in the country and Yemen's Houthis have attacked shipping lanes 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 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 UN 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.