Fresh offer made to Israel, Hamas for cease-fire in exchange for release of Israeli captives

By Burak Dag

A new proposal has reportedly been made to Israel and Palestinian group Hamas suggesting a four-month cease-fire in Gaza in return for the release of all Israeli captives.

The new proposal has been conveyed to Israel and Hamas by mediator countries, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, citing Egyptian officials.

Under the proposal, a six-week halt to hostilities is proposed initially for the release of Israeli captives in need of urgent medical attention, including children, women, and the elderly, with Israel being asked in return to release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The report said the next phase of the proposal proposes that Hamas release Israeli female prisoner soldiers followed by male prisoner soldiers, and to hand over the bodies of those who have died in Gaza to Israel.

The report also said the new proposal includes Hamas seeking international guarantees, including from the US.

The new proposal reportedly came ahead of discussions this weekend in Paris between CIA Director William Burns and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, as well as intelligence officials from Egypt and Israel.

US media said President Joe Biden would send Burns to negotiate a cease-fire and a large-scale prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas is believed to be holding nearly 136 Israeli hostages following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Israel has since launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 26,422 Palestinians and injuring over 65,000. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.