By Samy Magdy and Julia Frankel | Related Press
CAIRO — The Hamas militant group mentioned Saturday it has accepted a brand new Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar, however Israel mentioned it has made a counter-proposal in “full coordination” with the third mediator, the USA.
Egypt early within the week made a proposal to get the troubled ceasefire again on observe, following Israel’s shock resumption of preventing. It was not instantly clear whether or not the proposal modified earlier than Khalil al-Hayyah, the chief of Hamas in Gaza, introduced it had been accepted.
Early within the week, an Egyptian official described the proposal to The Related Press, saying Hamas would launch 5 residing hostages, together with an American-Israeli, from Gaza in return for Israel permitting support into the territory and a weekslong pause in preventing. Israel would launch tons of of Palestinian prisoners. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to temporary media on the closed-door talks.
On Saturday, the workplace of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave no particulars about Israel’s counter-proposal, which it mentioned was provided after Netanyahu held consultations on Friday.
Israel per week and a half in the past ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a shock wave of strikes that killed tons of of individuals. The White Home blamed Hamas for the renewed preventing.
Israel has vowed to escalate the warfare till Hamas returns the 59 hostages it nonetheless holds — 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel additionally desires Hamas to surrender energy, disarm and ship its leaders into exile. On Saturday, Israel widened its floor operations in Gaza’s southern metropolis of Rafah close to the border with Egypt.
Hamas has mentioned it’ll solely launch the remaining captives in alternate for Palestinian prisoners, a long-lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Pissed off by the menace to remaining hostages in Gaza, households and others rallied once more Saturday night to name for a deal that might convey everybody residence.
“The price of your war is the life of the hostages!” some protesters chanted in Tel Aviv. Minor scuffles broke out with police.
“War will not bring our hostages home, it will kill them,” Naama Weinberg, cousin of deceased hostage Itay Svirsky, advised a weekly gathering of households in Tel Aviv.
The warfare in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault into Israel, through which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and kidnapped 251.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 individuals, in line with Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which doesn’t say what number of have been civilians or combatants. Israel’s bombardment and floor operations have prompted huge destruction and at their top displaced some 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants of over 2 million individuals.
Early this month, Israel once more minimize off all provides to Gaza to strain Hamas to just accept new phrases to the ceasefire that began in mid-January.
Israel had balked at getting into negotiations over the truce’s second section, which have been meant to start in early February. Beneath the settlement, section two was meant to convey the discharge of the remaining 24 residing hostages, an finish to the warfare and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Frankel reported from Jerusalem.
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Initially Printed: March 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM PDT
