From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 25, 2024
A deal for 20 hostages: Israel said discussing more limited proposal that won’t involve ending the war
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Officials in Israel are deliberating a more limited proposal for Hamas to free hostages, Israeli television reports, in an effort to avoid acceding to the terror group’s demand that any agreement to release captives include an end to the war.
According to Channel 12 news, “the new outline for a deal that’s being debated in Israel” calls for the release of 20 hostages — women, female soldiers, the elderly and those with serious medical conditions. In turn, Israel would agree to allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, but would not declare an end to the war.
The unsourced report indicates this and other proposals were discussed at today’s war cabinet meeting. It does not specify how long of a pause in the fighting would be involved.
It says the proposal will be convoyed to mediators shortly.
An Israeli source quoted by the network says Israel is doing the maximum to try to compel Hamas to respond, noting the preparations for a ground offensive in Rafah and the growing international pressure for a hostage-for-ceasefire deal.
The report also says Israel is increasingly inclined toward Egypt’s mediation efforts instead of Qatar’s, and that there’s currently very little optimism in Jerusalem about the prospects for an agreement.
The Times of Israel Community.