Hamas reviewing Israeli proposal for Gaza ceasefire
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya has given no details of Israel’s offer, but said it was in response to a Hamas proposal two weeks ago. Negotiations earlier this month centred on a six-week ceasefire proposal and the release of 40 captives in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
A separate Hamas statement said leaders from three main factions active in Gaza discussed attempts to end the war. It didn’t mention the Israeli proposal.
The statements came hours after an Egyptian delegation wrapped up a visit to Israel. Egypt has cautioned that an offensive into Rafah could have “catastrophic consequences” on the humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as on regional peace and security.
Israeli truce proposal includes possibility of ‘restoration of sustainable calm’ in Gaza: Report
US news site Axios, citing two Israeli officials, reports that a new Israeli proposal for a possible deal with Hamas includes a willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial release of captives on humanitarian grounds.
According to Axios, the Israeli officials said the new proposal was formulated jointly by the Egyptian intelligence delegation and the Israeli negotiations team.
The new proposal is reported to offer a response to several of Hamas’s demands, including a willingness to allow the full return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Netzarim Corridor, which splits the north of Gaza from the rest of the enclave.
Axios states that “the proposal also includes a willingness to discuss the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire as part of the implementation of the second phase of the deal”, which would take place after the release of the Israeli captives on humanitarian grounds.
This would mark the first time since Israel began its war on Gaza that Israeli leaders have shown an openness to discussing an end to the war as part of a deal to release the captives.
