Gaza militant group Hamas proposes a five-year ceasefire and the simultaneous release of hostages once.

Fresh Take:

GAZA CITY – In the midst of ongoing negotiations, Hamas has indicated openness towards a settlement to end the bloody conflict in Gaza. This potential deal would involve releasing all hostages and securing a five-year truce, a Hamas official revealed on Saturday to AFP, anonymously.

With Egyptian mediators involved, discussions are underway to find a way out of the 18-month spectacle of war. While violence persists, with reports of an Israeli strike on a family home in Gaza City taking at least 10 lives and leaving many more feared trapped in the rubble, negotiations continue.

The Hamas official expressed their organization's readiness for a mass prisoner exchange and a five-year peace agreement. This proposition follows an earlier Israeli proposal, which Hamas dismissed as unilateral and insufficient.

The latest ceasefire bid calls for a comprehensive agreement rather than piecemeal solutions. The Israeli offer initially included a 45-day ceasefire, contingent on the return of 10 living hostages.

Hamas's non-negotiable conditions for any peace accord include an end to the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and increased humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations recently warned that food supplies are running dangerously low.

Israel, on the other hand, demands all hostages captured during the 2023 attack be returned and that Hamas disarms—a request that Hamas firmly rejects as a red line.

In less than a month since Israel restarted its offensive in Gaza, post-ceasefire, a Hamas official stated earlier this week that Cairo-centered discussions would revolve around new ideas for a ceasefire.

On Saturday, Hamas shared a video appearing to show the rescue of hostages from a tunnel, which they claimed was attacked by Israeli forces.

Gruesome Incident

In Gaza City's north, the civil defense agency reported a strike on the al-Khour family home, taking the lives of at least 10 individuals. It's estimated that roughly 20 more are trapped beneath the debris. Umm Walid al-Khour, who miraculously survived the attack, described the horror, "Everyone was sleeping with their children when the strike hit. The house collapsed on top of us. Those who survived screamed for help but nobody came... Most of the deceased were children."

Elsewhere in the city, strikes killed three individuals in a house in the Al-Shati refugee camp, and four others died in separate strikes across Gaza. No immediate Israeli comment was made regarding these incidents.

Enrichment Data Leaves Its Mark:The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza has recently seen several proposals for a ceasefire:

Hamas Proposal: Hamas proposes exchanging all hostages for a comprehensive five-year truce, but maintains that disarmament is not on the table[1][2]. However, there is some internal discussion about possibly handing over weapons to a potential future governing authority in Gaza, though support for this stance isn't universal[2].
Egyptian Proposal: Egypt, in conjunction with Qatar and the U.S., has suggested a five to seven-year ceasefire agreement, which would involve the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for a predetermined number of Palestinian prisoners. The deal would necessitate an immediate and complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the start of reconstruction, and the lifting of the blockade[4].
The Hamas official allegedly revealed a potential five-year truce agreement in Cairo in 2023, which includes the release of all hostages and a mass prisoner exchange, despite Hamas's earlier rejection of an Israeli offer for a 45-day ceasefire.
The ongoing negotiations in Gaza's politics, regarding war-and-conflicts, are being mediated by Egypt, with discussions focused on ending the 18-month long spectacle of violence, including the recent strikes in Gaza City that resulted in civilian casualties.
In the general news, a gruesome incident occurred in Gaza City's north, where a strike on the al-Khour family home resulted in at least 10 deaths, leaving an estimated 20 individuals trapped in the rubble, raising concerns about accidents and crime-and-justice in the region.
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has seen a tide of proposals, such as the Egyptian proposal that includes the release of all Israeli hostages, the start of reconstruction, and the lifting of the blockade, despite Hamas's non-negotiable conditions for peace.
In less than a month since the ceasefire, Hamas has shared a video of hostages being rescued from a tunnel, allegedly attacked by Israeli forces, indicating their continued efforts towards a settlement amidst the backdrop of ongoing violence and negotiations in Gaza City.