Khaled Yousef
31 March 2025•Update: 31 March 2025
ISTANBUL
Israel has presented a counter-offer under which Hamas would release half of the live hostages and half of the dead hostages it is holding in Gaza in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, Israel’s Channel 13 reported Sunday.
The proposal comes after Israel rejected a mediator-backed offer to release only five hostages, including Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli citizen, the report said.
Israeli estimates indicate that 59 captives remain in Gaza, including 24 who are alive. Meanwhile, Israel is holding more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners under conditions that human rights organizations describe as harsh, citing reports of torture, mistreatment and medical neglect, which have resulted in fatalities.
Israel’s security cabinet convened Saturday night for extended discussions on the issue after receiving a new mediation proposal aimed at renewing the agreement with Hamas. The meeting also addressed the need to increase military pressure on the group, the report added.
Neither Israeli authorities nor Egyptian and Qatari mediators have commented on the report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed Saturday that Israel responded to the mediation proposal with an alternative offer fully coordinated with Washington but did not disclose the details of either plan.
The developments follow reports by international and Arab media that Egypt and Qatar recently proposed a ceasefire deal which includes initiating the second phase of the truce after a set period.
Khalil al-Hayya, the de facto Hamas leader in Gaza, announced Saturday that the group had accepted a new proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. He expressed hope that Israel would not obstruct its implementation but did not reveal further details.
The first phase of the prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with US support, began on Jan. 19 and ended in early March.
According to Israeli media, Hamas has adhered to the agreement’s terms, but Netanyahu refused to proceed with its second phase due to pressure from far-right factions within his governing coalition.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
More than 50,250 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 114,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
