Hamas unveils three-phase plan in response to Israel's proposed deal

TEL AVIV: Hamas has put forward a three-phase plan in response to Israel's proposed deal, which entails a ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza, CNN reported.

Each phase is intended to last 45 days. The Hamas response was presented to Qatari and Egyptian mediators, with a copy obtained by CNN and confirmed as genuine by senior Hamas official Muhammad Nazzal.

The first phase focuses on the release of Israeli hostages, including non-enlisted women and children under 19, as well as the elderly and the sick. This would be in exchange for a specific number of Palestinian prisoners. Additionally, the phase involves a temporary halt to military operations, withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza, and the initiation of reconstruction efforts.

Phase two aims to conclude talks on the requirements for the continuation of the mutual cessation of military operations and the return to complete calm. It involves the release of all male hostages in Gaza, humanitarian measures, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's borders, and comprehensive reconstruction.

In the third phase, the focus is on exchanging bodies and remains of the deceased on both sides while humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts persist. Hamas proposes Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and the United Nations as guarantors of the agreement, excluding the United States.

However, an Israeli official familiar with the negotiations asserted that Israel would not accept the Hamas counterproposal. The source emphasised that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from Gaza, citing the release of prisoners captured on October 7 as a non-negotiable point for Israel, according to CNN.

Earlier in the day, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said that Hamas has given a "generally positive" response to a proposed truce deal with Israel.

In a press conference on Tuesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Qatari PM underlined that Hamas has given a "generally positive" response to a proposed truce deal with Israel, as the Palestinian group reiterated its demand for an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Blinken stated that Hamas' answer to the plan mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States had been conveyed to Israeli officials.

Blinken is on a four-nation visit to the Middle East and stated that he will address the reaction with Israeli authorities when he visits the nation on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Doha on Tuesday, Blinken stated that the agreement is "essential".

"There's still a lot of work to be done. But we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it," he said.

According to Al Jazeera, Hamas said in a statement that its leaders had reviewed the "comprehensive ceasefire deal ... with a positive spirit," including details on securing relief and shelter, reconstruction, the lifting of a 17-year-old crippling siege, and the completion of the "prisoner exchange" process.

Qatar has, notably been negotiating a deal with the US and Egypt that would include a long-term cease-fire and the release of Hamas hostages.

Notably, the war between Israel and Hamas began after the latter launched an attack on the former on October 7, where around 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 taken hostage.

Israel then launched a counterattack on Hamas and vowed to eliminate the terrorist group.