The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. According to the plan, Hamas will hand over 28 Israeli hostages dead or alive in the first week of the ceasefire, in return for which Israel is proposing to hand over 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the bodies of 180 dead Palestinians.
The White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to a US ceasefire proposal, while Hamas said it was considering it. The truce plan has been brokered by US President Donald Trump and mediator countries Egypt and Qatar.
It provides for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza immediately after Hamas signs a ceasefire agreement. This aid will be distributed through the United Nations, Red Crescent and other channels. According to Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages in Gaza that Israel has accepted the draft presented by President Trump’s special envoy for West Asia, Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Hamas said it was reviewing the plan and would respond by Saturday. According to the US plan, Hamas must release the last 30 of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages once a permanent ceasefire comes into effect. Israel will also halt all military operations in Gaza once the ceasefire comes into effect. Israel has insisted that Hamas must completely disarm.