Terrorist organization Hamas issued its demands as part of a proposed truce between it and Israel that would last four and a half months.
According to the terrorist group, this plan would not only free all Israeli hostages who are still in captivity, but it would provide an end to the war altogether.
However, two officials with the Israeli government quickly came out and said that Hamas’ demands are simply non-starters for them.
These demands were issued after negotiators with Egypt, the United States and Qatar brokered a recent deal for a ceasefire. Many political pundits classified that deal as the best chance to halt the ongoing fighting that’s been happening in Gaza, if even on a temporary basis.
Hamas hasn’t budged off its stance, though.
Before they will release any more hostages that they’re still holding in Gaza — there have been estimated to be more than 130 people still held in captivity — they are demanding that Israel end its war and completely exit the Palestinian enclave.
They’ve also proposed that the deal happens in three different phases, each of which would last for 45 days.
During the first phase, all Israeli women, as well as all Israeli men who are 19 years old or younger, would be released from captivity, along with all elderly people and sick people. In exchange for these hostages being released, Hamas wants all Palestinian minors and women who are being held in jail in Israel to be released.
These details are very similar to those of the initial truce that took place for a short amount of time last November.
The plan would only move onto the second phase once Hamas and Israel mutually agree to stop fighting. Then, and only then, Hamas would free every remaining male hostage that they were holding — but again, only if Israel withdraws all members of its army from Gaza.
During the last phase, any remains and bodies of dead hostages would be released as well. Israel has said they believe that there are at least 32 bodies of hostages that Hamas has. Those people either died while in captivity or during the terrorist attack that happened on October 7.
Sources who are familiar with the ongoing negotiations told Reuters that Hamas is also seeking guarantees that the deal for a ceasefire will remain in place and not just simply collapse once they free all of the Israeli hostages.
As one of the sources told Reuters:
“They want the aggression to stop and not temporarily, not where (the Israelis) take the hostages and then the Palestinian people live in a grinder.”
Ezzat El-Reshiq, who is a member of the political bureau for Hamas, confirmed recently that their offer was passed on from the mediators to officials in the U.S. and Israel.
As he said:
“We were keen to deal with it in a positive spirit to stop the aggression against our Palestinian people and secure a complete and lasting ceasefire as well as provide relief, aid, shelter and reconstruction.”
