Hamas approves Gaza truce, prisoner exchange proposal with Israel Israel-Palestinian Conflict News


Hamas said it had approved a proposal to halt the war in Gaza and swap Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian armed group told Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday that its delegation had submitted ratification of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement to mediators. Israel has yet to announce its response to the proposal.

Previously, mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt reported that A potential deal to end Israel’s 15-month war in Gaza is closer than ever It may be finalized soon, but there are no guarantees. They said implementation could begin “immediately” after the agreement is signed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to Israeli media reports.

three stages

Citing an official with knowledge of the negotiations, Reuters reported that the proposed deal would be carried out in three phases. During an initial six-week phase, Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from central Gaza and Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

According to Reuters, Hamas will release 33 Israeli prisoners within these six weeks, including all female soldiers and civilians, children and men over 50 years old. Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian prisoner it releases and 50 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli soldier it releases.

The second phase of negotiations will begin on Day 16 of the first phase and is expected to include the release of remaining prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The third phase is expected to include the return of the bodies and the start of reconstruction work in Gaza, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu held a meeting on Wednesday with Finance Minister Bezarel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz. After the meeting, Smotrich released a video, saying, “There is only one thing in front of me, and that is the achievement of all the goals of the war.”

Both Smotrich and the firebrand national security minister Itamar Ben-Gwere are staunchly opposed to the deal and this week threatened again that they could quit the government if it passes. Ben-Gewell met with some members of parliament on Wednesday.

Israel has previously said its main goal in the war is to “destroy” Hamas and secure the release of prisoners still held in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Hamas has recruited almost as many new fighters as it has lost in its war with Israel, adding that the group cannot be defeated by “military action” alone.

Washington has also been trying to rally allies behind the idea of ​​”reforming” the Palestinian Authority eventually taking over the enclave to prevent the re-emergence of Hamas.

Representatives from some 85 countries gathered at Oslo City Hall on Wednesday to discuss ways to achieve a two-state solution. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide said it was time to address “what happens after a ceasefire.”

Oslo
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Butt Eide attend the Global Alliance for the Implementation of a Two-State Solution meeting at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway, on January 15, 2025 (Photo by Heiko Junge/NTB : Reuters)

Families of Israelis still imprisoned in Gaza staged massive demonstrations again in Tel Aviv and elsewhere late Tuesday, calling for a deadline to be reached.

Israel affairs analyst Dan Perry told Al Jazeera that the prospect of a ceasefire evoked two main reactions in Israel: first, joy at the possible release of Israeli prisoners and the end of the war; second, disapproval of Hamas. The fear, despite being militarily exhausted, would actually remain in power.

“It’s clear that if Israel pulls out of Gaza, Hamas will remain in power,” Perry said. “For that, I think many people will blame Netanyahu because the Palestinian Authority is clearly an alternative to Hamas.”

“People die every hour”

As ceasefire and prisoner swap deal appear closer to finish line, Israeli military Enhanced lethal attack Across the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 59 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday.

The situation for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza remains dire Air and ground attacks continue Most aid is blocked by Israel.

Gaza’s health ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli attacks had killed at least 46,707 Palestinians since the war began, 62 more than a day earlier. The number of injured has also risen to at least 110,265, the report said.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, said people in Gaza are watching developments in Doha, but at the same time, people are dying every hour.

“The more we hear about a potential ceasefire, the faster the attacks are happening and the more families are being targeted and killed. More people have been targeted in homes over the past 72 hours.”

People mourn Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks
People at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital mourn Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on January 15, 2025 (Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

These include a nighttime attack on a family in Deir el-Balah that killed at least 12 people, including children, and an airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp where an Israeli bomb killed at least five people .

The Israeli army also ordered new forced displacement operations, this time targeting Palestinians living in the Jabaliya area of ​​northern Gaza, where the more than 100-day siege has so far left more than 5,000 people dead or missing.

Israeli shelling on Wednesday knocked out power to an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, continuing after Israeli troops attacked medical facilities Kamal Adwan Hospital burned down and arrested its directors last month.



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