New US plan to pause Gaza war draws Hamas criticism
The U.S. has presented Israel and Hamas with a new proposal to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip, though the militant group has already criticized it for not requiring an end to the 20-month conflict.
The agreement calls for Hamas to release 10 of the roughly 20 hostages Israel believes are still alive and the bodies of another 19 within the first week of the deal in exchange for a 60-day cease-fire and the release of Palestinians held by Israel, according to a draft reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The draft says President Trump would announce the deal if an agreement is reached, and envoy Steve Witkoff would preside over the talks.
The U.S. said Israel has signed off on the proposal. Hamas has said it is studying it, but Hamas officials have criticized its lack of a commitment to halt the fighting or clarify the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The proposal is an attempt to stop further escalation of the fighting that erupted after the previous cease-fire collapsed two months ago, pushing the toll in Gaza to more than 54,000 dead, according to Palestinian health authorities, who don't say how many were combatants.
Israel at the time failed to begin talks on a permanent end to the conflict, and Hamas stopped releasing hostages it held in Gaza, a breakdown that was followed by resumed Israeli airstrikes and a broader deployment of ground troops.
Negotiators have since tried various formulas, including a shorter-term pause in the fighting and longer-term halts that wouldn't require Israel to commit to a permanent end to the war.
The fighting was sparked by Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel that left around 1,200 dead and 251 people taken hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he won't stop the war until Hamas is destroyed in Gaza.
The U.S.-designated terrorist group has been battered by the months of war, and most of its leadership has been killed. But it continues to recruit and still holds sway in the Gaza Strip, where there is no clear alternative to its authority.
Write to Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com
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