On Sunday, it was reported that Hamas had responded to the mediators’ proposal with a willingness to release only about 20 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire. This was significantly less than the original plan, according to an Israeli official. The official noted that Hamas was using “laughable excuses” to explain the reduction in the number of abductees they were willing to release in the first phase of the deal, such as claiming that some of the abductees were not alive or not in their possession.
Hamas was demanding higher “keys,” meaning the release of more Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli abductee, and had increased their demand regarding the number of world prisoners to be released. The Israeli official stated that Hamas had divided the agreement into several phases and was tying them together. They were conditioning the implementation of phase one on receiving international guarantees to end the war in phase two of the deal.
Furthermore, Hamas demanded the withdrawal of IDF forces from large areas in Gaza Strip in phase one, allowing for full return of Palestinians to north Gaza Strip and full freedom of movement throughout Gaza Strip starting from phase one. The Israeli official stated that Hamas had completely changed their proposal from mediators and had quadrupled and tripled their demands. It was clear that Hamas was not interested in a settlement or ceasefire and continued to hope for escalation.
In conclusion, an Israeli official expressed frustration with Hamas’s response, stating that they were dragging their feet and not interested in a peaceful resolution. The situation remained tense as Hamas continued to push for more concessions and escalate conflict.