Hamas looking into latest ceasefire counterproposal from Israel army

Earlier this week, the US and 17 other nations pressed Hamas to release their citizens who are missing or held hostage in Gaza, in a bid to revive cease-fire talks

By Shamim Adam

Hamas said it will examine the latest Israeli counterproposal on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages as Israel continues preparations for a major new offensive. 

The proposal is in response to the group’s position delivered to mediators on April 13, senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said in a statement. Hamas will submit a response once it’s finished studying it, he said, offering no specific timeline. 

Earlier this week, the US and 17 other nations pressed Hamas to release all hostages, including their own citizens being held in Gaza, in a bid to revive ceasefire talks that have stalled in recent weeks, and to unlock more humanitarian aid for the coastal enclave. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US, the EU and others. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure to reach a truce with the Palestinian militant group amid international concerns about his plans for an attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where a million refugees are sheltering. Protests inside Israel at the fate of the hostages are also escalating.
 

Israel told a high-level Egyptian delegation which visited Friday that it’s made significant concessions and that the latest offer represents a “last-minute opportunity” for an agreement before it enters Rafah, Channel 12 reported, citing a senior Israeli official who wasn’t identified. 

The US has been seeking a temporary cease-fire in Gaza that would see Hamas release female, wounded, elderly and sick hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid. In subsequent phases, the remaining captives - including the bodies of those who’ve died - could be released under a process that US officials say should eventually end the fighting.

Ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas have been mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.

Separately, Saudi Arabia plans to host high-level talks on Monday to discuss Gaza’s future. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to attend and then visit Israel a day later. 

Al-Hayya told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Hamas would lay down its arms if a Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. He insisted it wouldn’t back down from its demands for an end to the war in Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, which Israel has refused.

Israel has been waging a devastating offensive in Gaza since Hamas fighters swarmed across the border on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people. The group abducted another 250, of whom more than 130 remain inside Gaza, some of them dead.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have died, according to Hamas-run health authorities, which don’t distinguish between military and civilian casualties.