Israel confirms it received new Gaza truce proposal from mediators, made counteroffer
Hamas said to agree to Egyptian proposal to free 5 living hostages for a 50-day ceasefire, which is reported to fall short of Jerusalem’s demands
Israel confirmed on Saturday night that it had received a new ceasefire-hostage release proposal from mediating countries and said it had made a counteroffer.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a series of consultations Friday night to discuss the proposal.
On Saturday afternoon, Jerusalem responded with its own counterproposal, the PMO said, adding that this was done “in full coordination with the US.”
The Israeli statement came after media reports on Saturday said Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian proposal to release five living hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire in Gaza.
Egyptian officials told the Qatari New Arab news outlet Saturday afternoon that Hamas had accepted the offer. An Israeli official speaking to Walla news anonymously confirmed that Hamas appeared to have accepted the offer for a ceasefire to begin on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, set to begin Sunday or Monday.
According to multiple media reports, this does not meet Jerusalem’s demands, with Israel insisting on the return of 10 or 11 living hostages to resume the truce, based on a previous proposal by US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
The official, speaking to Walla, said an agreement was unlikely to be reached by Eid al-Fitr. He added that the Egyptian proposal would also see the bodies of slain hostages released during the ceasefire, but he didn’t provide a number.
According to the New Arab report, US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander would be released under the potential deal, with the United States and Qatar intensively involved in the proposal.
“The ball is now in the Israeli government and Americans’ court,” an Egyptian official said.
Sources familiar with the negotiations earlier told Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar outlet that the Egyptian proposal includes “a temporary ceasefire lasting approximately 50 days, in exchange for the release of five Israeli [hostages] and a number of Palestinian prisoners, along with the activation of a mechanism for the entry of sufficient quantities of aid [into Gaza], including food, medical supplies, and basic necessities for civilian relief.”
Egyptian officials told Al-Akhbar that Cairo was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of progress.
A senior Egyptian official told Al-Akhbar: “Cairo is seeking that all parties, including Washington, push Israel toward making genuine concessions that would guarantee reaching an agreement.”
Responding to the reports, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Saturday expressed appreciation for any effort to release hostages, but demanded a deal that brings all captives home in one go.
“Israel will continue to delay for weeks, which could result in the fate of dozens of hostages being decided — some sentenced to death, and others will disappear,” the forum said in a statement.
The forum asserted it was possible to return all 59 hostages at once in exchange for a permanent end to the war. Such a deal is not known to have ever been on offer.
Israeli television reported Friday that mediators see a willingness among some senior Hamas members to release a small number of hostages to secure a truce during Eid al-Fitr.
Kan news said the deal was less about Eid al-Fitr, and more to do with the protests that have broken out against Hamas throughout Gaza over the past several days.
Hamas wants to crack down on those participating in the protests, the report said, and it cannot do so due to Israel’s resumed operations in Gaza, as the military is targeting operatives that it spots out in the open.
Kan’s report came a day after a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Qatar presented Hamas with a new US proposal to restore the ceasefire through the release of Alexander, in exchange for which US President Donald Trump would issue a statement calling for calm in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations for a permanent end to the fighting sparked by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has already rebuffed a proposal from US envoy Witkoff, which sought to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. The group has insisted on sticking to the terms of the deal signed in January, which was to have seen negotiations begin in early February for a second phase of the deal. The outline for the phase broadly envisions the release of all remaining living hostages in exchange for a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled and has accordingly refused to enter talks on the second phase, instead pushing for an extension of the phase one temporary ceasefire. Israel renewed intensive military operations throughout Gaza on March 18.
A senior Hamas official said Friday that the negotiations were gaining momentum.
“We hope that the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement.
The talks aim to “achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid in,” Naim said.
Most importantly, he said, the proposal aims to bring about a resumption in “negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of occupation forces.”
The Times of Israel Community.