US eyes new truce talks as 44 Gazans killed
GAZA CITY: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has presented a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that includes the release of 10 captives, according to media.
As per the new draft plan, the captives are to be released in two groups within a week, several outlets reported.
Palestinian group Hamas would also have to hand over the bodies of 18 captives still held in Gaza. The bodies of 180 Palestinians would also be handed over.
In return, 125 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,111 Gaza residents who have been detained in Israeli jails since October 7, 2023 will be freed.
The two-month truce is set to facilitate negotiations between Israel and Hamas on an end to the almost 20-month-long conflict, according to the reports.
If Israel and Hamas manage to come to an agreement, the remaining captives are due to be released under the latest proposal. The proposal also stipulates that aid distribution in the Gaza Strip will once again be handled by the United Nations and international aid organisations.
Meanwhile, at least 44 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, rescuers said, a day after a World Food Programme warehouse in the centre of the territory was looted by desperate Palestinians.
After a more than two-month blockade, aid has finally begun to trickle back into Gaza, but the humanitarian situation remains dire after 18 months of devastating war. Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people.
Gaza civil defence official Mohammed al Mughayyir said "44 people have been killed in Israeli raids", including 23 in a strike on home in Al Bureij.
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