New hostage deal presented to Hamas – report

Despite Israel’s claims it will no longer accept a partial hostage deal, new framework for a 2-month ceasefire and release of 10 hostages reportedly presented to Hamas.

By World Israel News Staff

A new hostage deal has been presented to the Hamas terror organization as Arab mediators attempt to revive truce talks following weeks of deadlock.

On Monday, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group told AFP that Hamas’ negotiating team has been presented with a new proposal for a partial hostage deal – despite Israeli officials declaring recently that they would no longer accept any plan which would leave some of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity.

According to the Islamic Jihad operative, the new proposal shares key conditions of the previous plan, with 10 of the 20 living hostages to be released in exchange for a two-month ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The deal, the source said, involves a “ceasefire agreement lasting 60 days, during which 10 Israeli hostages would be released alive, along with a number of bodies.”

The previous round of talks centered around a proposal which included the return of 18 slain hostages, in addition to the 10 living captives.

“The remaining captives would be released in a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a broader deal,” the Islamic Jihad official added, linking the return of the other 10 living hostages to an agreement ending the war in Gaza, with international guarantees.

The Islamic Jihad operative claimed that “all factions” back the new proposal, despite objections by Hamas in the past to similar plans.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, is reportedly slated to head to Egypt to help reboot hostage deal talks, after Israel announced plans to capture Gaza City, expanding the current ground campaign in Gaza.

“The proposal is a framework agreement to launch negotiations on a permanent ceasefire,” one Palestinian official told AFP. “Hamas will hold internal consultations among its leadership.”

A report by the Saudi Al-Arabiya outlet said the new proposal is a compromise between Hamas’ demand for an Israeli commitment to permanently end the war, and Israel’s terms that a permanent truce must include Hamas’ surrender, disarming, and the exile of its senior leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently declared that his government will no longer accept partial hostage deals, insisting that all 50 captives be freed in any future deal.

“Israel will agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go, and in accordance with our conditions for ending the war, which include the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance that will live in peace with Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said over the weekend.

However, reports by Channel 12 and Channel 13, each citing a senior Israeli official, claimed that Netanyahu is prepared to discuss a “phased deal” should Hamas soften its position.