Mohammad Sıo
15 March 2024•Update: 15 March 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestine
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas presented mediators from Qatar and Egypt with a three-phase plan for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage swap deal, a well-placed Palestinian source told Anadolu on Friday.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hamas' proposal is made up of three stages, each lasting for six weeks.
''The first stage entails the withdrawal of Israeli forces from different cities’ centers, as well as from Rashid and Salah al-Din streets to allow for the return of displaced people and the delivery of aid,'' the source added.
The source noted that the second stage involves the release of Israeli women, children, and elderly hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of over 700 Palestinian inmates from Israeli jails.
The third stage will involve the release of Israeli soldiers who have been captured in Gaza and a permanent cease-fire will be announced before the exchange of soldiers begins.
Hamas proposed to Israel the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners, 30 of whom are serving life sentences, in exchange for each woman Israeli soldier currently held captive by the Palestinian resistance group.
Late on Thursday, the Palestinian group Hamas presented Qatari and Egyptian mediators with its comprehensive vision for a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Israel.
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.
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 has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.
More than 31,490 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,439 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
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 Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% 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. 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.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
