CAIRO: 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 US, 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.
