‘Israel insists on the release of 10 hostages held in Gaza instead of 5, as proposed in the Egyptian plan,' reports Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper
The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, agreed late Saturday to a new ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip that was submitted by Egypt and Qatar, expressing hope that Israel would not obstruct the plan.
"We received a proposal two days ago from our brothers in Egypt and Qatar, who are mediating the talks," Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, announced in a televised address on Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "We engaged with the proposal positively and accepted it, and we hope that the occupation will not sabotage it or undermine the mediators' efforts."
Al-Hayya did not disclose details about the proposal, but international media outlets have in recent days reported that Egypt and Qatar submitted a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, under which the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel would take effect after a period of calm.
"We fully adhered to our commitments and worked with the mediators to ensure Israel would abide by its obligations. However, it reneged on the entire agreement once the first phase concluded," he said.
The Yedioth Ahronoth Israeli newspaper reported later that Tel Aviv has submitted an alternative proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, in which it requests that Hamas release 10 captives instead of five, as stipulated in the Egyptian proposal.
It quoted well-informed sources as saying that Israel “hopes to reach a ceasefire agreement before the Jewish Passover holiday,” which falls between April 12 and 20.
Earlier Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Tel Aviv had responded to the proposal received from mediators with an alternative, which was fully coordinated with Washington, without disclosing the content of either proposal.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, killing more than 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
More than 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 114,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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