A senior Israeli official, on Tuesday, has disclosed that the government demanded the release of all remaining hostages in any future Gaza deal.
This is coming a day after Hamas reportedly accepted a new truce proposal.
According to Vanguard, speaking on the condition of anonymity, the senior official said the government’s stance had not changed and demanded the release of all hostages.
Two officials also told Reuters that Israel is studying Hamas’ response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
The officials said on Tuesday of a potential deal for a 60-day truce and the release of half the Israeli hostages still held in the battered enclave.
Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City, and Egypt and Qatar have been pushing to restart indirect talks between the sides on a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.
The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official.
Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details, and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well.
The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75% of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the 60-day truce deal would include “a pathway to a comprehensive agreement to end the war.”
Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by U.S. special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. The last round of talks ended in deadlock in late July.
At a shelter in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, displaced people had mixed feelings over whether a deal would be reached this time.
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