Hamas officials reject latest Israeli proposal on Gaza truce
Hamas has rejected the latest Israeli proposal on a Gaza truce, two officials from the movement told AFP on Wednesday.
'Hamas has decided not to follow up on the latest Israeli proposal presented through the mediators,' said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
They accused Israel of 'blocking a proposal from Egypt and Qatar and trying to derail any agreement.'
Confirming the Islamist Palestinian movement's refusal to negotiate based on the latest Israeli proposal, the second Hamas official called on 'the mediators and the international community to force (Israel) to commit to the mediators' proposal.'
After two months of truce in Gaza and several weeks of unsuccessful negotiations to extend it, Israel resumed its bombings and military offensive in Gaza on March 18, claiming that military pressure was the only way to force Hamas to release the roughly 60 hostages, dead or alive, it still holds.
Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are attempting to broker a new ceasefire and secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
A senior Hamas official said on Saturday that the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal, while Netanyahu's office said Israel had submitted a counteroffer. The details remain undisclosed.
According to one of the Hamas officials, the Egyptian-Qatari proposal includes a 50-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release five Israeli soldiers, including one who holds US citizenship, in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 150 serving life sentences.
Israel would also release 2,000 Palestinians captured by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the date of Hamas's deadly attack that triggered the war.
The same source said the proposal accepted by Hamas on Saturday also included the withdrawal of the Israeli army from areas of Gaza where it redeployed since March 18 and the influx of humanitarian aid.
The first phase of the truce, which began on January 19, led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom were dead, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinian detainees.
Of the 251 hostages abducted during the October 7 attack, 58 remain in Gaza, 34 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli army.
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