Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. RONEN ZVULUN / Portal
According to Axios, this plan would simply involve relocating Israeli soldiers outside Gaza's main cities and gradually returning hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fighting.
According to the American website Axios, Israel, through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, offered Hamas a two-month break in fighting and raids in Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages. This proposal would not mean the end of the war in Gaza, but a second ceasefire after a week that would allow the release of a hundred hostages transported to Gaza during the unprecedented October 7 attack in exchange for at least 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israel imprisoned. According to Israeli authorities, under pressure from families to agree to a release deal, 132 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, 28 of whom are believed to have died.
According to Axios, Israel's proposal would involve the return of living hostages and remains to Israel in several phases, with the first phase including women and men over 60. This was followed by female soldiers, men under 60 who were not in the military, male Israeli soldiers and finally the remains of hostages. Under the plan, Israel and Hamas would agree in advance on the number of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for each hostage according to their category, and then negotiate the name of each Palestinian, Axios continues.
A release of hostages over 90 days
This plan does not envisage an end to the Israel-Hamas war or a longer-term political solution, but rather a redeployment of Israeli soldiers outside Gaza's main cities and the gradual return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the north to the south of Gaza to escape the violence. The publication of this Axios article comes as US President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk visits Egypt and Qatar this week.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the United States, Egypt and Qatar were trying to persuade Israel and Hamas to agree to the release of the hostages over 90 days in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.