There Israeli leadership will evaluate Hamas' counterproposal today for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a possible exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners in Israeli prisons. The news was reported by Channel 13, citing a senior Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The ongoing debate concerns whether to reject the demands made by Hamas or enter into negotiations in an attempt to soften them, the source said. Today the political elite will gather for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a decision on the matter will be made there, the official explained.
According to the Kan television station, Netanyahu would have given his approval to the ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip without informing the war cabinet. The news comes on the day of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel. At the moment, Netanyahu's office has not confirmed Kan's indiscretions.
Three-phase agreement, Hamas's counter-proposal
The counter-proposal presented by Hamas, according to the draft seen by the broadcaster al-Jazeera, provides for a three-phase ceasefire plan, with a stop in fighting for 135 days, or four and a half months. In the first 45 days, the counterproposal calls for the release of all Israeli women who are prisoners in the Gaza Strip, as well as males under 19, the elderly and the sick. In exchange, Israel will release Palestinian women and minors detained in Israeli prisons.
The second phase of the agreement includes the release of the remaining male hostages who are still in the Gaza Strip, while the third phase involves the handing over to the Israeli authorities of the bodies of people who were killed during the fighting in the Palestinian enclave. By the third phase Hamas expects an agreement to be reached for a total end to the war. Hamas has said it wants the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners500 of whom will be selected from among those sentenced to life imprisonment by the Israeli judiciary.
Qatar reportedly told Hamas that Israel would be willing to release three thousand to five thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Sky News Arabiya, contradicting the public statements of Netanyahu, who said he was against the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Sky News Arabiya also reports that Qatar is trying to soften the demands contained in Hamas' counter-proposal for a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Qatar, the broadcaster continues, also offered the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in Gaza as part of the deal, as well as the construction of new and improved refugee camps and the renovation of water and sewerage services.
Israel raid in Syria
Meanwhile, Israeli air raids have hit Homs, Syria, and there are civilian victims. The state news agency SANA writes this, citing military sources, according to whom residential buildings were damaged in the raids. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that there were eight victims, six civilians, including a child, and two Hezbollah agents.
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