Gaza: Hamas accepts a new proposal to ceasefire

Hamas announced Monday that it has accepted a new proposal from the mediators on a truce with Israel in Gaza, associated with a release of hostages selected in the Palestinian territory.

The efforts in recent months of the mediators-Egypt, Qatar and the United States-have so far failed to lead to a lasting ceasefire in the war which ravages the Gaza Strip, where, according to the Civil Defense, 19 Palestinians were killed Monday in Israeli bombings.

In Cairo, the director of Egyptian intelligence services Diaa Rashwan told the al-Qahera News state media that Egypt and Qatar had submitted their proposal to Israel. “The ball is now in the Israeli camp,” he said.

Israel has not yet commented on Truce’s proposal presented in Cairo in Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in Gaza.

Hamas has announced that it has accepted this proposal which provides, according to a Palestinian source close to the file, “a 60 -day truce and the liberation” of the hostages “in two waves”.

“Hamas has given its answer, accepting the new proposal of the mediators. We pray to God to put out the fire of this war against our people, “said Hamas, Bassem Naïm on social networks.

These announcements occur at a time when the Israeli army is preparing to take control of the city of Gaza and the neighboring refugee camps, with the displayed objective of putting an end to Hamas and freeing all the hostages removed during the attack on October 7 and still retained in the Palestinian territory.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he would only accept an agreement “in which all hostages will be released in one time and according to our conditions to end the war” in Gaza.

Ally of Mr. Netanyahu, American president Donald Trump said: “We will only see the return of the hostages remaining only when Hamas is confronted and destroyed !!! The more it will happen, the better the chances of success. ”

Forty-nine hostages are still retained in Gaza, including 27 dead according to the Israeli army. A total of 251 people, most of whom were released in two previous trucers, had been taken hostage during the attack on October 7.

The proposal accepted by Hamas resumes the main lines of a previous plan of the American emissary Steve Witkoff.

A Palestinian source close to negotiations declared to AFP that “the mediators had provided Hamas guarantees for the implementation of the plan, as well as a commitment to resume discussions to achieve a regulation” definitively ending the war.

According to a source in Islamic jihad, an ally of Hamas, the plan provides for a 60 -day truce in exchange for the delivery of 10 living hostages and captive bodies. “The remaining hostages would be released during a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a broader agreement” aimed at putting an end to war, with international guarantees.

According to Al-Qahera News, the proposal also provides “redeployment towards areas adjacent to the border of Israeli troops to facilitate the entry and movement of aid to Gaza”.

Mr. Netanyahu is subject to strong pressures from both public opinion and international, where calls are multiplying to end the sufferings of Gazaouis.