Israel has offered the Palestinian Hamas movement a one-week truce in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages.
This is reported by the portal Axios, citing sources.
What did Israel offer?
According to sources, the director of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, during negotiations with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, and the head of the government of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani, which took place on December 18 in Warsaw, proposed resuming negotiations on a peace agreement.
The head of the Mossad said that in exchange for the release of about 40 hostages (women, men over 60 years of age and those in need of urgent medical care), Israel is ready to stop hostilities in the Gaza Strip for at least a week and release Palestinian prisoners convicted of more serious crimes. crimes than those released under the previous agreement.
Axios notes that this is the first humpause proposal presented by Israel since December 1, when the IDF, blaming Hamas for breaking the truce, resumed fighting.
According to the portal, Qatar did not agree with Israel’s proposal, saying that negotiations on the release of the hostages are possible only after Israel stops attacks on Gaza.
In response, the head of the Mossad stated that the only condition for a ceasefire was the surrender of Hamas and the surrender to Israel of the leaders of the movement responsible for the events of October 7.
According to a source familiar with the consultations, Israeli conditions make negotiations much more difficult, despite Qatar’s readiness to resume them.
On December 19, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced his readiness for another humanitarian shutdown in Gaza and an increase in the amount of humanitarian aid for the population of the strip to ensure the release of hostages.
On November 22, Hamas announced that it had reached an agreement with Israel, through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, on a 4-day humanitarian truce in Gaza. It came into force on November 24.
The agreements provided for the release by Israel of three Palestinian women and children from prison in exchange for each freed hostage of women and children.
The ceasefire was extended several times, but on December 1, the IDF accused Hamas of violating the truce and resumed hostilities in the enclave.
On December 5, Hamas Politburo member Osama Hamdan said that the remaining hostages would not be released until Israel stopped its aggression in Gaza.
Earlier it was reported that Colorado court ordered former US President Donald Trump to participate in local elections.
