Gaza. Hamas presents ceasefire proposal, Israel talks about “unrealistic demands”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has already highlighted that the agreement is based on “unrealistic demands” but that, even so, the matter will be taken to the war and security cabinets this Friday.

In this agreement, to which Reuters had access, Hamas states that the date for a permanent ceasefire and the deadline for the departure of Israeli forces from Gaza can be agreed after the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

The document also provides that all people taken hostage or imprisoned are released in a second phase.

Egypt and Qatar have been the main mediators of the ceasefire agreements presented since the conflict reignited on October 7 last year, seeking to reduce differences between Israel and Hamas.

The humanitarian crisis on the ground is deepening, with a quarter of the population in the Gaza Strip is starving while being constantly exposed to Israeli attacks.

Last night, according to Hamas, 20 people died in an air strike while a crowd awaited the distribution of humanitarian aid. Israel has already denied the accusation.

Agreements insist on failing

According to the radical group, negotiations for a ceasefire have failed in recent weeks due to Netanyahu’s rejection of Hamas demandswhich include a permanent ceasefire, the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of those displaced in the south of the enclave to the center and north and the increase in humanitarian aid, without restrictions.

At the end of February, Hamas received a proposal resulting from negotiations for a truce in Gaza carried out in Paris. That document included a 40-day pause in all military operations and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in a ten-to-one ratio, numbers that are similar to those in Hamas’ most recent proposal.

At the time, the extremist group said it would study the proposals, but Israel promptly rejected it, insisting that its long-term goal of ending the war would only end with the destruction of Hamas.

Air, land and sea attacks on Gaza have killed more than 31,000 people and injured around 71,500 since October, according to health authorities in that enclave. The conflict, however, spread to other parts of the Middle East.

w/agencies