Hamas terrorists are said to have presented a counter-proposal for a hostage agreement during indirect negotiations. This only provides for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip after a 42-day ceasefire, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The terrorist organization had previously rejected a US compromise proposal that provided for the release of 40 hostages against 900 Palestinian prisoners during a six-week ceasefire.
The Israeli army must withdraw to the border of the coastal area
According to Haaretz, Hamas’ counter-proposal calls for the Israeli army to halt fighting in an initial phase of six weeks and withdraw from urban centers to the periphery of the closed-off coastal area. At the same time, displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip, the report said. During this time, Hamas would search for all hostages in the disputed area and determine their conditions. In a second phase, the Israeli army would have to withdraw to Israeli territory. Only then would the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners begin, it was said.
Demanded 30 prisoners for one Israeli citizen
For every Israeli citizen, Israel would have to release 30 Palestinian prisoners from prisons in return, the report said. For every Israeli soldier, 50 Palestinians should be released from Israeli prisons, including 30 serving life sentences. The Israeli soldiers and dead hostages would be handed over in a third and final phase, when the Israeli army’s siege of the Gaza Strip ends and reconstruction of the area begins.
Number of surviving hostages unclear
Israel had previously believed that just under 100 of the approximately 130 hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip were still alive. But now there are fears that there could be significantly more deaths. Israel wants to keep open the possibility of continuing the fighting in Gaza after a ceasefire.
Source: Krone
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