Hamas committed to mediators' plan, not Israel's counter proposal

3/4/2025 6:10

Hamas decided not to respond

or engage with Israel's counter-proposal for a ceasefire in

Gaza, an official told Reuters on Wednesday, affirming it is

committed to the mediators' plan instead.

Israel said on March 29 it conveyed to the mediators a

counter-proposal in full coordination with the U.S., after Hamas

agreed to a proposal it received from mediators Egypt and Qatar.

A copy obtained by Reuters on Wednesday showed the mediators'

proposal was part of the January 17 ceasefire agreement and

would extend the ceasefire for 50 more days.



The negotiations for a second ceasefire phase should be

over before the 50-day period ends, as per the copy.



The proposal included the release of New Jersey native Edan

Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army, on the

first day after the ceasefire is announced.



Hamas would also release four Israeli hostages, with one

hostage released every 10 days in exchange for releasing 250

Palestinians held in Israeli jails and releasing 2,000 from

those who were detained after Hamas's October 7 attack on

Israel.



The proposal also entailed the cessation of Israeli

military operations, opening the crossings to allow the entry of

humanitarian aid and re-opening the Netzarim Corridor to allow

the entry of cars from the south to the north and vice versa.



The Israeli military said on March 19 that its forces

re-extended their control to the centre of the Netzarim

Corridor, which bisects the Gaza Strip.



The first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

went into force on January 19 after 15 months of war and

involved a halt to fighting, the release of some of the Israeli

hostages held by Hamas, and the freeing of some Palestinian

prisoners.



However, Israel



said on



March 19 that its forces resumed ground operations in the

central and southern Gaza Strip. It also



announced



a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on

Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and

added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale

evacuations of the population.



Phase two of the three-phase deal is intended to focus on

agreements on the release of the remaining hostages and the

withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas says any proposals

must allow the launch of the second phase, while Israel has

offered to expand the first 42-day phase.



More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the

Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian officials say.



Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led

gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7,

2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages,

according to Israeli tallies.