Latest news with #hostageexchange
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Mediators await Israeli response to new truce offer
JERUSALEM: Mediators were awaiting an Israeli response Tuesday to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signaled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war. The foes have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war resulting in two short truces and the releases of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but they have ultimately failed to broker a lasting ceasefire. The efforts have been mediated by Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, with frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy aiming to break the deadlock. Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding 'the ball is now in its court.' According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet Al-Qahera, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war.' Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had 'opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past.' Hamas's acceptance of the proposal comes as Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war. On Sunday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to call for the end of the war and a deal to free the remaining hostages still being held captive. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The new proposal also comes after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir – who has staunchly opposed ending the war – slammed the plan, warning of a 'tragedy' if Netanyahu 'gives in to Hamas.' Gaza's civil defense agency reported that 27 people were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes and fire across the territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the situation was 'very dangerous and unbearable' in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods of Gaza City, where he said 'artillery shelling continues intermittently.' The Israeli military declined to comment on specific troop movements, saying only that it was 'operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities' and took 'feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.' Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Sabra resident Hussein Al-Dairi, 44, said 'tanks are firing shells and mortars, and drones are firing bullets and missiles' in the neighborhood. 'We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians,' he added. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 62,004 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas says it 'responded positively' to temporary ceasefire deal proposal with Israel
Hamas announced it has submitted a "positive response" to the mediators about the current ceasefire and hostage exchange release proposal on the table. How the proposal will be implemented will require another round of negotiations, according to the group. "The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework," Hamas said. The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended. Israel had expected a response from Hamas on the ceasefire and hostage deal by Friday, an Israeli official told ABC News. Earlier this week, a Hamas adviser said the group was still studying the proposal. "Hamas is open to any proposal that will end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, but Hamas wants guarantees that Israel will commit to moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement after the first phase, which is set to last for 60 days," said Taher Al-Nounou, media adviser to the head of Hamas. The revised temporary ceasefire deal on the table now deals with the release of more hostages by Hamas, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter. The deal calls for the release of 10 living hostages from Hamas captivity and the return of 15 bodies of hostages being held by the terrorist group. It is believed there are about 20 living hostages still being held by Hamas. According to the terms of the proposal, the release of the 10 living hostages and 15 bodies will be staggered over the 60-day period the temporary ceasefire is in effect. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas will not hold ceremonies for the hostage releases, as they did during a previous six-week ceasefire. Discussion of a permanent ceasefire will take place during the 60-day period. Even after Hamas responds to the proposal, there are still several issues that remain to be addressed, one of the sources said -- including the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages. In many rounds of negotiations, Hamas has sought a guaranteed end to the war in Gaza -- but that remained a chief sticking point in recent negotiations and something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not agreed to budge on. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that Israel had agreed to conditions for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Trump said representatives from Qatar and Egypt would deliver the final proposal to Hamas, which came after a "long and productive meeting" between Trump officials and Israeli officials in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. The latest deal comes after months of negotiations over a ceasefire led in part by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. In May, the White House submitted an Israeli-approved proposal for a 60-day ceasefire to Hamas, but the deal stalled. At the time, Trump urged both Israel and Hamas to make a deal ahead of and during his first foreign policy trip of his second term in office to the Middle East. Ultimately, a deal was not reached, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ramped up attacks on Gaza after Trump left the region In January, a six-week temporary ceasefire went into effect, resulting in the release of dozens of captives held by Hamas and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners. However, that ceasefire ended on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations against Hamas in Gaza, with Israel citing the failure to release the remaining hostages and saying the military was targeting Hamas terrorists who posed a threat to Israeli troops and citizens. MORE: Timeline of Israel's actions in Gaza after end of ceasefire with Hamas The Israeli government also imposed a blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip on March 2 that lasted for 11 weeks and ended on May 19. The Israel-Hamas war has taken a grim human toll. Since the war began, nearly 56,000 people in Gaza have been killed and more than 131,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed in a Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel. Hundreds more were taken hostage. At least 20 living hostages are believed to still remain in Hamas captivity. -ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Nasser Atta contributed to this report.
