 "Hamas will respond to Israeli ceasefire proposal within 48 hours, says official")
Hamas on Tuesday said that it will respond to Israel’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire within 48 hours that it received through mediators.
“Hamas will most likely send its response to the mediators within the next 48 hours, as the movement is still conducting in-depth consultations,” the official told AFP.
On Monday, the Palestinian terrorist group said that it had received an Israeli proposal for a truce in Gaza after the first phase of the ceasefire ended last month.
What does the ceasefire proposal say?
The Israeli ceasefire proposal includes a truce of at least 45 days in return for the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza.
It also provides for the release of 1,231 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory, which has been under complete blockade since March 2.
The proposal calls for a “permanent end to the war” on the condition that Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas, disarm, the official told AFP.
While Hamas will review the provisions of the proposal, it has rejected the disarmament demand as a “red line” and “non-negotiable”.
Hamas sends delegation to Qatar
Hamas has reportedly sent a delegation to Qatar to resume indirect ceasefire talks with Israel. A Hamas official said that teams have been in Cairo in recent days negotiating the terms of a new ceasefire agreement, which includes a proposal for Hamas to release eight to ten hostages currently held in Gaza. However, a key point of contention remains: whether the agreement would include an end to the war.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the unprecedented October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34, the Israeli military says, are dead.
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