Hamas responds to US plan for Gaza ceasefire, says proposal aimed at ‘permanent ceasefire'
Hamas says that it has responded to a ceasefire plan put forward by President Trump's envoy on Gaza, but did not make clear what its exact response was.
In a statement Saturday, Hamas said that its 'proposal' to the mediators – Qatar and Egypt — 'aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.'
'As part of this agreement, ten living Israeli prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,' the statement said.
The US-backed and Israel-approved proposal seen by CNN on Friday includes Hamas releasing 10 Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 Gazans detained since the war began.
Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the proposal. The terms of the agreement would also allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza 'immediately' and be distributed 'through agreed upon channels,' including the United Nations and the Red Crescent, according to the proposal.
But the draft agreement contained no intrinsic guarantee of a permanent end to the war, a key Hamas demand, nor assurances that the ceasefire will be extended as long as negotiations continue. Instead, it said that US President Donald Trump is 'committed to working to ensure that good faith negotiations continue until a final agreement is reached.'
Hamas had initially signaled reluctance to accept the terms of the deal. Bassem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said on Facebook Thursday that the framework did 'not respond to any of our people's demands' but that discussions were underway, nonetheless.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN's Dana Karni, Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood, Jeremy Diamond and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.
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