Hamas says Qatar and Egyptian mediators have agreed to a new Gaza ceasefire proposal as they push to update their speech ahead of a massive Israeli attack in Gaza city.
In a statement, Hamas said it had accepted the new proposals presented by Qatar and Egypt on Sunday.
Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas Politics Bureau, said on social media:
Two Israeli authorities told CNN that Israel had received Hamas’ response from the mediator. One Israeli official said the government’s position has not changed. This includes requiring the release of all hostages, disarming Hamas and seeking Israeli security control of the besieged territory.
The proposal shows new efforts from mediators to resume negotiations that had fallen apart in July, and wipes out what was the best hope of halting the fighting in a few months. It also shattered the possibility of an imminent end to war, and Israeli security ministers recently voted to escalate the conflict and occupy Gaza city.
With the newly approved surgery, pressure on mediators has pressured them to update their speeches and secure deals in order to avoid Gaza’s worse humanitarian catastrophe.
The new proposal is closely attached to the final ceasefire plan discussed before negotiations collapsed last month.
A Hamas official told CNN that he proposed to release 10 living hostages and 18 dead hostages. Hostages will be released in exchange for 140 Palestinian prisoners serving a life sentence of more than 15 years and a 60-service sentence. Israel will also release all Palestinian minors and female prisoners, officials said.
According to diplomats who were briefed on the negotiations, Qatar-Egypt mediators secured a breakthrough that held 98% of the final proposal from Steve Witkov, a US envoy group that Israel had previously agreed to. The mediator pressured Hamas to accept the proposal.
The step opens up ways to reach a comprehensive agreement in the best possible way without risking the lives of hostages through even more intense military operations, and avoids the deterioration of the humanitarian situation for the already deeply-struggling people of Gaza, the diplomats said.
The proposal requires a ceasefire in which Israel redeploys to the lines designated in Witkov’s proposal, and humanitarian aid will flow intensively to meet the basic needs of Gaza’s population.
This step marks the beginning of the path to a comprehensive solution, the diplomat added.
The second diplomat involved in the negotiations said, “Given the development, Egypt and Qatar will extend the invitation to Steve Witkov to come to Cairo.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani have arrived in Egypt for discussions on ceasefire negotiations, Egyptian officials said on Monday. Qatari officials met with Witkov in Spain last weekend.
Before it collapsed in July, the most challenging issues in negotiations included the number of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for hostages, the size of Israeli buffer zones around Gaza, and the extent to which Israel’s withdrawal was during a ceasefire. Hamas also called for an inclusive purpose for the war that Israel rejected.
The US and Israel will show that they will strengthen their position and will simply accept a comprehensive deal instead of a partial agreement when the final round of negotiations fails.
On Monday, President Donald Trump said on social media: “We’ll just see the resurrection of the remaining hostages when Hamas faces and is destroyed!!! The more this happens, the better your chances of success.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday evening, “Like you, I’ve heard reports in the media. One thing is clear from them: Hamas is under immeasurable pressure.”
He did not say whether he would consider the new proposal after claiming that he would only agree to a comprehensive deal that has achieved his greatest position. He says any agreement should include disarmament in Hamas, the red line of extremist organizations.
The fresh proposal called for Israel to secure the release of the remaining hostages and agree to a contract to end the war after hundreds of thousands of Israelis were demonstrated on Sunday in Tel Aviv and across the country. In a series of events that lasted all day, protesters blocked major intersections around the country, carried out grassroots strikes, and held massive rallysations in the Hostage Square.
Netanyahu’s far-right allies, demanding a war escalation, warned the Israeli Prime Minister about accepting a ceasefire contract.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gwil said in a recorded video: “Prime Minister, I’ll make this short and simple. You have no obligation to seek partial deals. The blood of our soldiers should not be ignored. Ben Gwil left the government at the final ceasefire in January before he reunited when Israel resumed the war two months later.
However, opposition politicians quickly threw their weight behind Netanyahu and behind the latest ceasefire efforts.
Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who chairs the Blue and White Party, said in a statement: “The government has a clear majority and an extensive safety net to bring hostages home. Netanyahu, this is not the time to hesit. This is the time to make the right decisions for the safety of Israel and Israel.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
