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60-day ceasefire, hostage release: Details of new US-proposed Israel-Hamas truce deal
According to news agency Reuters, within the first week of the ceasefire, 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead will be released.
The White House on Thursday announced that Israel has "signed off" on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted to Hamas, with the Palestinian militant group saying that the new version did not mean any of its demands.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said while Israel approved the new proposal before it was sent to Hamas, discussions with the militants were "continuing".
The Israeli government has not yet made any official confirmation remarks on the same.
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group will reject the latest US proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The official said that the deal contradicted the previous discussions held with Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and other negotiators.
While the senior Hamas official expressed discontent over the US ceasefire deal, he also said that the Palestinian group nonetheless remained in touch with the mediators and would submit its response in due time.
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Top Hamas official Bassem Naim told The Associated Press, “The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine." He said that the new deal “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.”
US proposal for Gaza ceasefire | Details
The specifications of the US-proposed Gaza ceasefire plan were reported by news agency Reuters.
- Firstly, the new deal proposes a 60-day ceasefire.
- Within the first week of this ceasefire, 28 Israeli hostages, alive and dead, will be released.
- The plan, as reported by Reuters, also mentions that the remaining Israeli hostages will be released after a permanent ceasefire is implemented.
- As per the latest proposal, Israel will release 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life, and 1,111 prisoners who were detained after Hamas' October 7 offensive. Additionally, Israel will also release the mortal remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
- The newly proposed ceasefire plan also includes sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the latest agreement.
- Once the ceasefire agreement is implemented, the Israeli military operation will also cease. The Israeli troops will only redeploy after the hostages are released, Reuters reported.
- The ceasefire agreement has been guaranteed by US President Donald Trump, and it will lead to a permanent solution to this conflict.
The more than 1.5-year-long conflict began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The militant group's incursion left 1,200 people dead and abduction of 251 hostages.
According to Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's military offensive in response to the October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
