Israel has proposed to Hamas via Qatari and Egyptian mediators a pause in fighting of up to two months as part of a deal to free all the hostages being held in Gaza, the US news site Axios has reported.
The reported proposal involves Israel suggesting a two-month pause in the fighting with Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The deal would include the release of hostages in multiple stages, starting with women, men over 60, and those in critical medical condition. Subsequent phases would involve the release of other groups, including women soldiers, younger civilian men, male soldiers, and the bodies of deceased hostages. The deal may also include the release of an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. However, it does not promise an end to the war.
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The implementation of the proposed deal is expected to take around two months, during which Israeli troops would reduce their presence in major Gaza cities, allowing residents to gradually return to the devastated north. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly alluded to the proposal in a meeting with hostages’ families. The US White House’s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, is said to be in the region for meetings in Egypt and Qatar to secure a new hostage exchange deal.
As of now, around 132 hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 deceased hostages. The October 7 attacks by Hamas led to approximately 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians. In response, Israel launched an offensive resulting in at least 25,295 deaths in Gaza, with around 70 percent being women, children, and adolescents, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
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