An Israeli counter-proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was announced on Saturday by Hamas.

The counter-proposal calls for the release of hostages, a new development in the talks, which Egypt is trying to rekindle.

Today, Hamas received the official response of the “Zionist occupation” (i.e. of Israel) to its position given to the mediators from Egypt and Qatar on April 13, said Khalil Al-Haya, second in command of Hamas’ political office for Gaza. The “movement” will consider this proposal and submit its response, it added in a statement issued early Saturday morning.

Hamas had said in a statement on April 13 that it had submitted to mediators from Egypt and Qatar its response to an Israeli ceasefire proposal, insisting on declaring a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Without rejecting the content of the ceasefire plan, the Palestinian movement reiterated its demands, namely the declaration of a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli Army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to the areas where they lived, and the intensification of the entry of humanitarian aid to the enclave.

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Yet Israel is opposed to a permanent ceasefire and insists on a cessation of hostilities lasting several weeks, so that it can then conduct, for instance, a ground operation in Rafah, refusing to withdraw all its forces from the Gaza Strip.

The details of Israel’s counter-proposal have not been released, but the Israeli press reported earlier this week the early release of 20 of the hostages in what are considered humanitarian cases.

The counter-proposal came as an Egyptian delegation arrived in Israel on Friday to discuss the general framework for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to a media outlet close to Egypt’s Intelligence Service, al Qahera News, citing an Egyptian official.

According to Israeli media, the delegation will try to rekindle the negotiations, which have been stalled for several weeks, and ask for a ceasefire agreement that would include the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza.

The war between Israel and Hamas will also be at the center of talks by senior Arab and European diplomats this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, including the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France.

Source: Euronews

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