Hamas says it presented comprehensive vision for cease-fire in Gaza to mediators

By Ahmed Asmar, Enes Canli and Mehmet Nuri Ucar

ANKARA/JERUSALEM (AA) - The Palestinian group Hamas said late Thursday that it presented its comprehensive vision for a cease-fire in Gaza and prisoner swap deal with Israel to Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

In a statement, Hamas said its stance involves a cease-fire in Gaza, the delivery of aid, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

It added that it also included a prisoner swap deal with Israel.

Shortly after Hamas' announcement, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Qatar handed the group’s response to Israel.

Israeli Army Radio quoted an Israeli official as saying that Hamas' response is under review.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Hamas' demands in their latest offer as "unreasonable," according to a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Hamas insists on its “unreasonable demands," the statement quoted Netanyahu as saying.

Netanyahu will present an update on the agreement to the war cabinet which will be considered on Friday, the statement added.

Israel believes there are 134 Israelis being held in Gaza after the Israeli army managed on Feb. 12 to free two Israelis held in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel launched its war on Gaza after a Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed more than 31,300 Palestinians and pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Zehra Nur Duz contributed to the story in Ankara.