In response to a truce proposal, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reportedly demanded a three-phase deal, 45 days each, to secure a prisoner-captive exchange, aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, and reconstruction, among other issues.
The draft shows the first 45-day stage will allow exchange of prisoners, release of some non-military Israeli captives and the delivery of aid.
It will also allow the reconstruction of hospitals and refugee camps in Gaza and the exit of Israeli ground forces from populated areas.
According to this draft, Hamas has also proposed indirect talks with the Israeli regime in the first stage to end the military aggression.
The second phase, as it shows, will allow the release of all Israeli male captives in exchange for a certain number of Palestinian prisoners and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
According to the draft, remains and bodies will be exchanged in the third 45-day phase.
A senior Hamas official says the resistance movement is trying to secure the release of as many Palestinian prisoners as it can in a potential deal with the Israeli regime.
Ghazi Hamad’s remarks came after Hamas said it had delivered its response to a ceasefire proposal to key mediators, Egypt and Qatar.
The Palestinians in Gaza are hopeful that a ceasefire would end their ordeal caused by over four months of relentless Israeli hostilities.
“People are optimistic, at the same time they pray that this hope turns into a real agreement that will end the war,” said Yamen Hamad, a father of four, living in a UN school in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
“People are awaiting news of a ceasefire, they are a bit hopeful despite the continued bombardment.”
Israeli occupation forces have committed 16 massacres in the past day, killing over 120 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s Health Ministry says around 170 civilians have also been injured.
The regime forces have intensified attacks on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Continuous bombardments threaten the lives of around 1.4 million displaced Gazans sheltering in Rafah.
Israel plans to launch a ground offensive there. The UN has issued a stern warning against the plan, saying it will lead to a large scale loss of civilian lives.
