ISRAEL – Israel is proposing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war in exchange for all living Israeli hostages held by Hamas. This proposal was presented on Saturday in Qatar, since Israel estimates that there are 58 captives who’re still in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. This was reported by Israeli broadcaster KAN.
On the other hand, more than 9,900 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons under dire conditions involving torture, starvation and medical neglect which have led to numerous deaths, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups and media.
The offer also reportedly calls for negotiations during the truce over the future of the war, including disarming Palestinian resistance factions and expelling their leaders – two conditions Israel has repeatedly emphasized, the source said.
Hamas has consistently rejected calls to disarm, saying it will not abandon armed resistance as long as Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land.
The proposal also includes the potential release of Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and around 1,000 inmates with standard prison terms, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
The report added that Israel remains firm in its refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza but is willing to discuss ending the war during the proposed ceasefire window.
Neither Hamas nor Qatari mediators have commented on the reported proposal.
Latest on War in Gaza Today
The Israeli army has killed 17 more Palestinians since early Monday in deadly strikes across the war-devastated Gaza Strip.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, 17 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes and tents across the Gaza Strip.
The latest victims of Israeli forces’ brutal attacks include six Palestinians killed in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, one of whom was killed by Israeli special forces.
During the attack on Khan Younis, the Israeli army cut off the city’s communications service, Wafa added.
On Sunday, the Israeli army began a broad ground offensive in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Over the past day, the Israeli army in the Southern Command, both the standing army and reserves, began a broad ground operation throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, as part of the start of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the army said in a statement.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.