Israel Weighs Hamas Response to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

Israel is studying Hamas‘s response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of half the hostages still held in the enclave, two Israeli officials said on Tuesday, although one source reiterated that all Israeli captives must be freed for the war to end.

Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City at the heart of the enclave.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar have been pushing to restart indirect talks between the sides on a US-backed ceasefire plan.

The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official.

Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details and added that Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well.

Israel says a total of 50 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of them still alive.

“Israel‘s policy is consistent and has not changed. Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles established by the cabinet for ending the war. We are in the final decisive stage of Hamas and will not leave any hostage behind,” an Israeli political source said.

The comment, while adamant, fell short of an outright rejection of the proposal on the table.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene discussions about the ceasefire proposal soon, the two Israeli officials said. A response was expected in the coming two days, said a Palestinian source close to the talks.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the 60-day truce deal would include “a pathway to a comprehensive agreement to end the war.”

The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75 percent of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. The last round of talks ended in deadlock in late July, when the US and Israel both recalled their negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, with Witkoff saying that Hamas had not been acting in good faith and “clearly showed a lack of desire” to reach a deal.

In Israel, the threatened offensive in Gaza City prompted tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday to hold some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Netanyahu faces domestic political pressure from his far-right government partners who object to a truce with Hamas. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have demanded to keep the war going until Hamas‘s defeat, and annex Gaza.

Groups representing Israeli families of those held hostage have demanded their return to Israel and an end to the war.

Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said that the truce proposal it has agreed to is an interim accord that would pave the way for negotiations on ending the war.

A source close to the talks said that, unlike previous rounds, Hamas accepted the proposal with no further demands.

But prospects for agreeing an end to the war appear remote, with gaps remaining on the terms. Israel is demanding the Islamist group lay down its arms and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions which Hamas has so far publicly rejected.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.