Posted on 04/17/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
The Hamas terrorist organization has rejected Israel's proposal for a partial Gaza hostage deal.
Khalil al-Hayya, who oversees the negotiations on behalf of Hamas, claimed that "Netanyahu set impossible conditions for a deal that does not lead to the end of the war or full withdrawal. He and his government violated the agreement before its first phase ended.
"We are prepared to immediately hold true negotiations for the release of the captives that we hold in return for an agreed-upon number of prisoners being held by the occupation. The occupation in return must totally stop the war and totally withdraw from the Gaza Strip," he demanded.
Earlier in the week, the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, published the alleged details of the Israeli offer presented to Hamas in Cairo.
The offer, which includes a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of nine living hostages and six dead hostages, is conditional on the disarmament of the Gaza Strip.
On the second day, Hamas will release five living hostages in exchange for 66 prisoners serving life sentences and another 611 terrorists from Gaza. The hostages will be released without any show of force or ceremonies like the ones Hamas staged during the hostage releases of the January ceasefire deal.
According to the report, the offer requires means for distributing aid that both sides will agree on, which would allow the aid to reach civilians only and not be hoarded by Hamas, as has been much of the aid that entered Gaza over the last 18 months.
After the release of the five hostages, the humanitarian aid will be brought in, as well as the tools and equipment needed to provide shelter to Gazans, and the IDF will begin redeploying in the Rafah area and northern Gaza.
Hamas continues to insist that it will not disarm and that the war be ended on its terms.