Israel-Gaza war: Hamas proposes new 6-week Gaza truce, hostage-prisoner exchange, official says
- During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said
- The latest proposal appears to be a shift for Hamas, whose armed wing previously there would be ‘no compromise’ on its demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza
Hamas has proposed a new six-week truce in Gaza and an exchange of several dozen Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an official from the militant group told Agence France-Presse on Friday.
“The agreement is for a six-week ceasefire and a prisoner exchange,” the official said after weeks of so far fruitless mediation efforts, adding that the group would want this to lead to “a complete [Israeli] withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a permanent ceasefire”.
During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
The official said that between 20 and 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would be released per hostage – up from a previous proposal of a roughly 10-to-one ratio, according to a Hamas source in late February.
Under the new proposal, the initial exchange could include women, children, elderly and ill hostages, the official said.
During the October 7 attack, militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes about 130 captives remain in Gaza, including 32 presumed dead.
The latest proposal appears to be a shift for Hamas, whose armed wing said earlier this month there would be “no compromise” on its demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza before any more hostages are freed.
