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Hamas is ready to release all remaining 59 hostages in Gaza in exchange for a permanent cease-fire with Israel, Palestinian officials said.
As Israel ramps up its military campaign in Gaza, the terror group told negotiators it was prepared to free all its hostages so long as it gets assurance that Jerusalem will withdraw all its forces, a senior Palestinian official told the Times of Israel.
It remains to be seen if the proposal will be accepted, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected any deal that does not include Hamas’ complete defeat, including demilitarization and its permanent exit from Gaza.
While Hamas has insisted that both sides should stick to the original US-brokered cease-fire deal in January, the terror group appears to be ready to concede that a permanent end to the fighting may not be immediately on the table.
“We had no other choice. The situation in Gaza is terrible,” the officials said about Hamas’ new position.
The terror group is allegedly open to releasing more hostages in exchange for a temporary cease-fire, Palestinian officials told the Israeli outlet.
Hamas previously agreed to a new deal proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff to release five hostages in exchange for another temporary truce.
Israel, however, rejected the offer and demanded the release of 11 living hostages, as well as the bodies of 16 captives.
Hamas officials found the Israeli counter-proposal unacceptable, with negotiators for the terror group refusing to respond on Wednesday.
The terror group maintains that Israel must be open to eventually discussing a permanent cease-fire in Gaza if it wants all the hostages freed, with the Palestinian official noting that Hamas will never agree to disarm so long as Palestinian statehood is denied.
Until then, the peace talks are “at a standstill,” the officials added.
Hamas’ latest proposal comes as Israeli troops prepare to split the already divided sections of Gaza further, with the Israel Defense Forces carrying out a plan to seal off the city of Rafah in the south.
The operation would leave Gaza cut up into three parts, with Israel already controlling a border sealing off the north, and allow the IDF to occupy 25% of the Strip.
Following Israel’s return to war last month, Hamas has faced increasing pressure from Palestinian civilians to end the fighting and free the Israeli captives.
Civilians continue to face a humanitarian crisis over the renewed blockade on food and aid supplies, with the death toll in Gaza rising above 50,000 last week, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
Meanwhile in Israel, Netanyahu is facing his own mass protests over the decision to return to war, as families of the hostages accused the PM of putting politics ahead of their loved ones’ safety.
There are currently 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, only 24 of whom are believed to still be alive, including Israeli American Edan Alexander.
With Post wires
English (US)