Hamas responds to US ceasefire proposal, outlines prisoner exchange plan - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

2 days ago

Hamas announced on Saturday that it has submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest ceasefire proposal.
Hamas stated that 'this proposal 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'.
They added that the deal would include releasing 10 Israeli living captives and 18 bodies in exchange for an 'agreed-upon' but unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
Of the roughly 250 Israelis captured on 7 October 2023, about 58 remain in Gaza, while Israel believes 35 are dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed uncertainty over the fate of some captives.
In a prior exchange in November 2023, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children. Of these, 107 were between 14 and 17 years old, and about three-quarters had not been convicted of any crime, though some were still awaiting trial in a military court. In exchange, Hamas released 110 captives.
That temporary truce lasted seven days before Israel resumed its war on Gaza.
The second truce, which went into effect on 19 January and was unilaterally ended by Israel on 18 March, called for the release of 33 Israeli captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The current US proposal reportedly offers a 60-day ceasefire with the staged release of 10 Israeli captives (four on day one, two on day 30, and four on day 60) and a phased return of Israeli bodies. However, the extension of the ceasefire beyond 60 days is not guaranteed.
The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, citing a senior Israeli source, reported that Tel Aviv received the US proposal on Wednesday evening calling for the release of 10 live Israeli captives and the remains of 10 others in two phases in exchange for a 60-day temporary ceasefire.
The proposal did not guarantee that the ceasefire would continue beyond 60 days if talks were still underway.
Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 13 reported that Hamas is proposing a different schedule: the release of Israeli captives in three stages over 60 days—four on day one, two on day thirty, and four on day sixty.
Hamas also suggested transferring the bodies of the deceased Israelis in three phases—on days ten, thirty, and fifty.
The Israeli news website Walla quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that the latest proposal was more in line with Israel's interests than previous ones, but still lacked explicit US guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Al Arabiya reported that Hamas would reject the absence of such guarantees and warn against any deal that would allow Israel to resume hostilities at will.
According to the report, Hamas is demanding firm US assurances for the implementation of any agreement, including a commitment to a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
A Hamas source also told Al Arabiya that 'all factions' had agreed on the observations submitted in response to Witkoff's proposal.
Hamas had announced earlier that it accepted a general framework proposed by Witkoff, which includes a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the formation of a professional committee to manage Gaza's affairs following the agreement.
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