Israel proposes 2-month hiatus in Gaza for another potential hostage release: Report
Israel-Hamas war
Amidst the prolonged conflict since October 7, there are reports that Israel has proposed a two-month hiatus in its military offensive against the Hamas militant group in Gaza. If successful, this could represent a significant breakthrough following the November truce, during which Israel ceased its bombardment of the besieged territory.
The proposal was submitted through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. In exchange, Israel wants a phased release of the remaining 136 hostages.
Notably, the offer is not in alignment with Hamas' demand for a complete termination of the ongoing war, which started following the bloodshed on October 7 when militants entered Israel and attacked Israeli civilians.
The proposal includes the release of specific groups of hostages in stages. Moreover, it also includes a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's main population centres, as well as a gradual return of Palestinians to the north of Gaza, media reports said.
Israel is currently awaiting Hamas' response to the proposal. It is uncertain as to when and how the Islamic Palestinian group will respond to the Israeli proposal.
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Israeli officials, speaking with Axios media outlet, have reportedly said that Israel is hoping that progress could be seen in the next coming days.
Hostage release
The proposed plan from Israel, reportedly, outlined a phased approach. In the initial stage, elderly over 60 years of age and children, women, and critically ill hostages would be released.
Subsequent stages will involve the release of female soldiers and men under 60 who are not soldiers. And finally, the male soldiers as well as the bodies of the hostages will be released.
The proposal also stated that Israel and Hamas would pre-agree as to how many of the 6000 prisoners from Israeli jails would be released. However, there will be a separate negotiation on the specific names of these convicts.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while speaking with families of hostages about the Hamas deal, said, “I tell you this as clearly as I can, because there are so many untrue [claims] that must be torturing you."
"On the other hand, we have an [Israel] initiative, and I will not elaborate."
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After the November truce, Israel again started pounding Hamas on December 1. Therefore, it is unclear if the two-month pause in war will be achieved or not.
Notably, the age and gender of those held captive is not known. Moreover, it also can't be said definitelyas to how many hostages have already diedin captivity.
In the meeting, Netanyahu reportedly said that there is a "proposal of mine, which I also passed in the war cabinet. We conveyed it and now there is, as they say, a tug of war."
“I can’t elaborate here, but our proposal is something we have passed on to the mediators," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.