Hamas submitted an official response to an proposal for a ceasefire to American barrier which would see the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others in exchange for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the group announced on Saturday.
The answer was sent to mediators following consultations within Palestinian factions, marking the most concrete sign of progress towards a cease-fire since negotiations collapsed in March. Hamas has declared that its position reflects the desire to end the conflict in Gaza, to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and to guarantee a complete Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
“This proposal aims to make a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and to ensure the flow of aid to our employees and our families in the Gaza Strip,” the group said in a statement.
The proposal seems to be aligning closely with the previous versions which suggested that Hamas would release hostages, including the remains of some – in exchange for the release of 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. A central condition for Hamas’ response is a complete end in the military campaign of Israel in Gaza – a request that Israel has so far rejected.
The plan was presented by the American envoy Steve Witkoff, the Israeli negotiators would have accepted the conditions. The United States is pressure for a 60-day break in the fighting, a sustainable peace framework and insurance that Israel will not resume its offensive once the hostages have been released.
Despite this, Hamas’ initial response was measured. Friday, the group said that he consulted other Palestinian factions before making a final decision. The senior Hamas official, Naim, criticized the American offer, saying that it had not responded to key requests such as the lifting of the humanitarian blockade on Gaza, which contributed to the hunger and the generalized suffering.
The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, strongly responded to Hamas’ hesitation, threatening the group with “annihilation” if it rejected the agreement. “The murderers of Hamas will now be forced to choose: accepting the terms of the Witkoff agreement for the release of the hostages – or being annihilated,” said Gallant.
A previous truce collapsed in March when Israel resumed his offensive, refusing to go to the second phase of an proposed agreement which could have led to a permanent ceasefire. Since then, talks have produced little progress – so far.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued through Gaza, killing at least 60 people in the last 24 hours, according to local health officials. 72 others were killed the day before. The Israeli military campaign was launched on October 7, 2023 in retaliation for an attack on Hamas which killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. To date, 58 hostages would still be alive.
The current conflict has made more than 54,000 lives in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health authorities, and brought the population by more than two million to the edge of famine. Although Israel has recently granted limited aid in the territory, humanitarian agencies say that deliveries are insufficient.
“After almost 80 days of a total blockade, the communities are hungry – and they are no longer ready to look at the food to spend them,” said World Food Program. The United Nations agency noted that 77 trucks bearing flour had been authorized in Gaza overnight, but were intercepted by desperate crowds before reaching their destinations.
While ceasefire negotiations are intensifying, regional and international actors continue to put pressure for a resolution. Qatar, which mediates alongside the United States and Egypt, said that talks are continuing. “We are very determined to find the end of the horrible situation in Gaza,” Ayla Ahmed Saif Al-Thani’s journalist in Qatar in the United Nations said on Friday.
In a separate development, Israel blocked a delegation of foreign ministers from five Arab countries to enter the occupied West Bank on Saturday, where they planned to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting was aimed at discussing the creation of a future Palestinian state.
The latest developments suggest a potential diplomatic breakthrough, but a final agreement remains uncertain because the two parties weigh their next movements.
